Greener homes: Factors underpinning Europeans' intention to live in multi-storey wooden buildings

Climate policies aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions embodied in the built environment support the wider implementation of multi-storey wooden buildings. A body of research on public perceptions toward wood as a structural building material is emerging, but close examination of behavioral factors underpinning prospective dwelling is scarce. We used contextualized constructs from the theory of planned behavior to quantify and compare the roles of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control on intentions to dwell in multi-storey wooden buildings. Structural equation models were fitted to survey data from seven European countries (Austria, Denmark, Germany, Finland, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom; n = 7056). We found that attitudes consistently explain intention to dwell in multi-storey wooden buildings. We also found a varied pattern of relationships between factors underpinning intention across countries. An implication of our results is that national-level policies aimed at promoting social acceptability of dwelling in multi-storey wooden buildings should universally address attitudes toward such novel buildings. But in some countries policies might in addition be tailored to emphasize citizens' subjective norms or perceived behavioral controls

Making gender visible : Objectives and socio-demographic differences among women forest owners

Women forest owners represent a large share of non-industrial private forest owners in Western countries. Gender affects many aspects of forest ownership, and women are underrepresented in forestry, forest organisations and forestry practices. The objective of this study is to improve the understanding of women forest owners' objectives and their relationship with socio-demographic attributes. The study reports the results of a subsample of women forest owners (n = 3066) in a survey of Finnish forest owners conducted in 2019 as part of the Finnish Forest Owner 2020 research project. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a new five-dimensional objective structure. In addition to two more traditional economic and income-related dimensions, the analysis also identified the dimensions of recreation and leisure time, heritage, and aesthetics and conservation. This indicates that women forest owners' objectives are more diverse than those of men. Investigation of the impact of socio-economic attributes, education, income, residential area, place of residence and the manner in which the forest was obtained revealed significant differences. The results help us understand women forest owners and their objectives and differences, enabling better designed policies and services that can engage a wider base of forest owners. Engaging all forest owners regardless of gender or the nature of their objectives is important to safeguard the viability and acceptability of the forest sector in Finland and to ensure that Finnish forests are managed in a way that reflects the needs and wishes of society and forest owners.Peer reviewe

The Effect of China's New Circular Collective Forest Tenure Reform on Household Non-Timber Forest Product Production in Natural Forest Protection Project Regions

The implementation of China's natural forest protection project (Protection Project) in 1998 changed households' forestry production modes in project regions, and China's new circular collective forest tenure reform (Tenure Reform) has been implemented since 2003 with the goal of motivating household forestry production and increasing household income from forests. Policymakers expect that Tenure Reform could also stimulate households to engage in non-timber forest products (NTFPs) production in Protection Project regions. However, only a few studies have investigated the effect of Tenure Reform on household NTFP production in Protection Project regions. To fill this gap, we built an integrative conceptual framework and estimated a corresponding structural equation model (SEM) using survey data from 932 households in Protection Project regions in southwestern China. In our research framework, there are four factors, including household characteristics, labour and social capital, forestland characteristics, and the Tenure Reform, affecting household NTFP production. The results substantiate that Tenure Reform has had a significant positive effect on household NTFP production. Additionally, household and forestland characteristics have promoted household NTFP production, but quantitatively less than Tenure Reform. This report can be used to inform the government that future investment in Tenure Reform still needs to be enhanced, and policy enforcement still needs to be strengthened.Peer reviewe