Don’t let them fall behind – the value of real life connections in a digital world of forest communication

Stockholm

2024

2772

Bandaufführung

40005822

There is no one size fits all when it comes to communicating forest science. In Austria, the transition to climate-smart forests heavily depends on the involvement of private forest owners as they manage more than 80% of the forested area. But there is not “the traditional forest owner” who can be reached in one specific way. Societal changes affect forest ownership, shifting it from mainly farm- or family-owned business to a more diverse set of “new forest owners”, which include a lot of “non-farming” and urban forest owners. With the ownership not only the connections to and demands on the forest change, but also the position of the owners in the forestry community. This requires novel and user-centric ways of communicating new findings and to help practitioners develop their understanding of climate-smart forests and their management. The Austrian Research Centre for Forests BFW set up several projects focused on science communication for different target groups – from traditional practitioners to middle school students.