Restaurering av edelløvskog – holdninger, muligheter og virkemidler

Abstract

I Norge regnes flere varianter av edelløvskog som truet. På Østlandet finnes det gjengrodde jordbruks- og skoglandskap hvor skjøtselstiltak kan bidra til å gjenskape edelløvskogen. Formålet med denne artikkelen er å undersøke skogeieres erfaringer med og interesse for restaurering av edelløvskog, hva restaurering av edelløvskoger kan bety for lokalbefolkningen og hvordan lokale organisasjoner kan bidra til friluftsliv i områder med edelløvskog. Videre er formålet å gi et bilde av hvor godt dagens forvaltningssystemer og virkemiddelapparat er tilpasset restaurering av skog som er avhengig av skjøtsel for ivaretakelse av det biologiske mangfoldet. restoration, deciduous forest, policy instruments, attitudes

Several types of temperate deciduous forest are threatened in Norway. For some of these forests, restoration through long-term and regular management will be important if biodiversity should be restored. The TransForest project established 13 field trials to carry out selective thinning to restore temperate deciduous forests. Based on qualitative data and document analyses this article analyses 1) forest owners' experiences, perspectives, and interest in restoration of these forests; 2) what outdoor recreation organizations think about restoration of these forests; and 3) whether current agricultural and environmental policy instruments are suited for supporting restoration of temperate deciduous forest that need regular management. Personal interviews were carried out with forest owners that had hosted the field trials, representatives from outdoor recreation organisations, and key informants from private and public organisations on policy and planning instruments. Our results show that forest owners and local outdoor recreation organisations value the thinning measures that have been carried out. The forest owners generally do not see any possibilities for net earnings from these measures and the representatives from the local outdoor recreation organisations emphasize that the public sector should bear the costs of restoration measures. Norwegian policy instruments for forests and agricultural land are, however, poorly fit for stimulating restoration measures that imply regular management in temperate deciduous forests.