ABSTRACT
In Finland, people have had a close relationship with the forest throughout the ages. Nevertheless, the forest is usually seen mostly either as an area for producing raw materials for the forest industry or as a nature conservation area in our land-use management. The functions this division sets for forests and their use largely follow the position and function of rural areas in society defined through the urban–rural binary. This chapter examines the decision-making process concerning the use of forests in Finnish rural contexts by focusing on the values forest owners attach to their forests and their use and influence in this process, as well as the challenges that binary forest management poses to forest owners’ choices regarding forest use. The chapter is based on an interview study involving various forest owners and forest-using entrepreneurs in rural contexts. The interviewees attached many non-economic values and meanings to forests and their use, which also guided their decisions related to the economic exploitation of forests. At the same time, the external administration sometimes limited their consideration of these values and meanings, and sometimes even directed forest owners to act against their values and interests, which can hinder the sustainable use of forests and rural development.
