Climate change adaptation in Swedish forestry: Driving forces, risks and opportunities

The document examines the drivers and barriers to climate change adaptation in the Swedish forestry sector, emphasizing that social and cultural factors are as critical as scientific data. While forest owners recognize increasing productivity and risks from extreme weather, many adopt a "wait and see" approach due to the gradual nature of climate change and distrust of scientific communication. The research highlights the importance of social networks, the role of indirect global climate impacts on export markets, and the need for relevant, credible, and legitimate science communication to foster proactive adaptation.

• Effective adaptation in Swedish forestry requires integrating climate concerns into broader forest operations rather than treating them in isolation, as owners must balance climate risks against costs, profits, biodiversity, and social values.
• Forest owners generally perceive climate change as a gradual process, leading to a "wait and see" attitude and a belief that they can adapt over time, particularly as productivity increases.
• Significant barriers to adaptation include disagreements between forest owners and advisers on effective management methods (such as clear-cutting) and a lack of confidence in climate science rooted in past experiences.
• Personal experience with extreme weather events, such as the storms Gudrun (2005) and Per (2007), increases awareness of climate risks and the willingness to implement adaptation measures.
• Swedish forestry is highly vulnerable to indirect climate impacts via four pathways: trade flows (due to high export dependence), biophysical flows (migration of pests/species), financial flows (investor assessments), and people (migration and tourism).
• Social network analysis shows that forest owners rely most on family, co-owners, and neighbours for decision-making, while forestry authorities and scientists are perceived as less important despite their role in disseminating knowledge.
• Science communication is most effective when it meets three criteria: relevance (connected to local needs), credibility (accurate and transparent), and legitimacy (developed through participatory processes).

APA

André, K., Swartling, Å. G., Vulturius, G., Olsson, O., Carlsen, H., & Davis, M. (2015). Climate change adaptation in Swedish forestry: Driving forces, risks and opportunities. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-RSB-2015-Mistra-SWECIA-Adaptation-forestry.pdf

Chicago

André, Karin, Åsa Gerger Swartling, Gregor Vulturius, Olle Olsson, Henrik Carlsen, and Marion Davis. Climate change adaptation in Swedish forestry: Driving forces, risks and opportunities. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2015. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-RSB-2015-Mistra-SWECIA-Adaptation-forestry.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{andr2015climate, author = {André, Karin and Swartling, Åsa Gerger and Vulturius, Gregor and Olsson, Olle and Carlsen, Henrik and Davis, Marion}, title = {{Climate change adaptation in Swedish forestry: Driving forces, risks and opportunities}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2015}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-RSB-2015-Mistra-SWECIA-Adaptation-forestry.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }