The role of emotions in forest conflicts

By highlighting the role of emotions in forest-related questions, the researchers involved in the project aim to contribute both to research and the society. The results can help policymakers and stakeholders understand why forest issues provoke strong reactions and how emotions can be addressed by policy decisions.

The project aims to provide deeper historical insight into how forest conflicts have developed over time and to highlight the need to incorporate emotional and ethical perspectives into the forest debate.

Forestry plays a central role in Sweden’s economy, environmental policy, and culture, but forestry issues also provoke strong feelings and sharp conflicts. Currently, two opposing forest inquiries are underway in Sweden: on withing the Church of Sweden, advocating for a broader understanding of sustainable forestry, and a state-led forest inquiry emphasizing production and property rights. Despite the strong emotions these issues provoke, there is a lack of a deeper understanding of how emotions influence forest debates and decision making.

The researchers in the project examines the role of emotions in forests conflicts by combining historical and philosophical perspectives. Historical research analyzes how emotions have been expressed in forest debates from the 18^th century to the present, while philosophical analysis examines how the ethical questions underlying these conflicts. Examples of case studies include the 18th-century ‘oak hatred’, where farmers opposed government orders to preserve oak trees, and the 1906 company ban, which prohibited large companies from buying up forest land in northern Sweden.

The research group focuses on relational values – how people’s emotional ties to the forest affect its perceived worth. These relationships span generations: we inherit forests, care for them, and pass them on, making forestry an intergenerational issue. From a philosophical perspective, this means that today’s forest policy affects not only us but also future generations and our relationship to the past.