Insights on Place and Psychological Dynamics for Private Forest Owners' Management Transitions: A Study on Increasing...

Due to the increased risk of forest damage associated with climate change, forest management needs to be diversified. To encourage a transition towards a diversified forest, facilitating and hindering factors need to be understood. This study uses a novel approach to study how place dynamics and psychological factors promoting a change are associated with change intentions among private forest owners-a group with a significant role in management transitions. The goal intention to change tree species composition and three behavioral intentions to increase the share of broadleaves were examined using a survey of a randomly selected sample of private forest owners in Sweden (N = 1793). Results revealed that intentions to increase broadleaves through natural regeneration were stronger than the intention to adopt improved silver birch, supporting a higher potential in changes more aligned with current practices. Physical, social, and relational dimensions of place were separately and interactively associated with change intentions. For example, owners in the south region, with a greater information flow and a higher trust in forest actors, displayed a stronger intention to adopt improved birch, and trust was more important among non-certified compared to certified owners. Damage risk perceptions and psychological drivers (e.g., goal feasibility) were associated with change intentions. In addition, results confirmed the role of experience, cognitions, and emotions associated with improved birch for the intention to adopt the species. This interdisciplinary approach draws attention to the dynamics in the owners' decision context and decision-making to understand the unfolding of forest management transitions.