Reviewing gender roles, relations, and perspectives in small-scale and community forestry - implications for policy and practice

This study synthesises published research on gender relations in small-scale and community forestry to examine how gender roles, dynamics, and identities are understood in the literature. We also assess the ways in which gendered social relations can be more effectively incorporated into policies and practice. After initial screening, 140 papers were systematically reviewed. Thematic analysis revealed that gender relations have been studied in small-scale and community forestry under different approaches and to various depths but were frequently equated to women's issues. Although normative gendered roles within households and communities may persist, there are opportunities for breaking through stereotypes. Most common findings were that small-scale and community forestry increases gender equity in rural communities but can have adverse effects if women are not genuinely included in decision making. Leaving women's perspectives out of decision-making processes can be harmful to their livelihoods. Further, as women often distribute the benefits from small-scale and community forestry to households and communities, their absence in decision making is detrimental to society. Policies that promote ways to incorporate the perspectives of men and women in small-scale and community forestry can benefit from the resultant broader knowledge bases and objectives. When gender inequities are pronounced, gender-targeted approaches might be necessary. Other factors that explain social stratification, such as ethnicity and age groups, must also be taken into consideration. Small-scale and community forestry can provide opportunities to broaden the scope of livelihoods, decision making, and contribute to a more gender-equitable engagement

The impact of Ecoparks on longhorn beetles : species richness, abundance and communities in comparison to commercially used forest land

Several dead wood-dependent beetles need substrates which to great extent have been disfavored by intense forestry. Active and continuous restoration in Ecoparks may offer an option with intention to improve the habitation conditions. This study investigated, with data from 2011 and 2020, if longhorn beetle species communities, abundance, species richness and red-listed occurrence were different in an Ecopark compared to a conventional production landscape as a reference. The hypothesis was that the species richness and abundance in general are higher in the Ecopark, and that the trend over time will indicate a sharper difference between Ecoparks and conventionally managed forest. Regarding species communities and red-listed species, the assumption was that the Ecopark over time will inhabit another species composition and more redlisted species compared to the conventionally managed forest. The assumptions are based on earlier studies showing that dead wood-dependent beetles are favored by nature conservation – in particular by creation of dead wood. The beetles were collected in 2011 and 2020 by using insect traps on high stumps from birch and pine - in both Ecopark Hornsö and its reference landscape Hälleskog. Differences between Ecopark and reference landscape regarding abundance and species richness were tested with GLM-models. Differences in occurrence of red listed species over time in the Ecopark were also tested with GLM-model. Venn diagrams and box plots were used to illustrate data. The tests showed a generally higher species richness and abundance of longhorn beetles in the Ecopark compared to the reference area, independent of the year. The models also showed a general decline of abundance and species richness from 2011 to 2020, independent of the year. Red-listed longhorn species occurrence in the Ecopark showed a decline from 2011 to 2020. The landscapes inhabited on both occasions over 50 % of the species in common. The Ecopark inhabited on both occasions more than 30 % of the species not found in the production landscape. The production landscape on both occasions inhabited 10 % of the species not found in the Ecopark. A total of 6 red-listed species was only found in the Ecopark, and not in the production landscape. The number of red-listed species found in the production landscape was 3, but these species were also found in the Ecopark. The results indicate that the strengthened conservation creates a more favourable envirionment for longhorn beetles compared to conventional forest land. Despite that the study in contrast to the hypothesis do not show increased abundance or species richness over time, there are however indications that the Ecopark has a value – in particular regarding the 6 red-listed species in total found exclusively in the Ecopark, but not in the conventional production landscape.Flertalet dödvedberoende skalbaggar behöver substrat som i stor omfattning missgynnats av långvarigt och intensivt skogsbruk. Aktiva och kontinuerliga restaureringsinsatser i exempelvis ekoparker kan utgöra ett alternativ i syfte att förbättra habitatförutsättningarna. Denna studie undersökte, med data från 2011 och 2020, om långhorningarnas artsamhällen, abundans, artrikedom samt hur förekomsten av rödlistade långhorningsarter skilde sig en ekopark i jämförelse med ett konventionellt produktionslandskap som referensområde. Hypotesen var att skalbaggarnas artrikedom samt abundans är generellt högre i ekoparken, samt att trenden över tid bör tala för än skarpare skillnad mellan ekoparken och produktionsskogen. Gällande artsamhällen samt rödlistade arter antogs att ekoparken med tiden kommer uppvisa annorlunda artsammansättning samt fler rödlistade arter jämfört med produktionslandskapet. Hypoteserna grundas på studier som visat att dödvedberoende skalbaggar gynnas av naturvårdsåtgärder – i synnerhet då död ved skapas. Skalbaggarna samlades in 2011 och 2020 med hjälp av insektsfällor på tillskapade högstubbar av tall och björk - i både ekopark Hornsö samt dess referensområde Hälleskog. Skillnader mellan ekopark och referensområde avseende artrikedom och abundans testades med GLM-modeller. Förekomstförändringen över tid av rödlistade arter i ekoparken testades likaså med GLM-modell. Venndiagram och lådagram användes för att illustrera data. Testerna visade generellt högre artrikedom och abundans av långhorningar i ekopark än referensområde, oberoende av år. Modellerna visade även generell minskning av artrikedom och abundans från 2011 till 2020, oberoende av landskap. Rödlistade långhorningsarters förekomst i ekopark minskade från 2011 till 2020. Områdena hade vid båda tillfällena över 50 % av arterna gemensamt. Ekoparken hade vid båda tillfällena över 30 % av arterna som ej påträffades i produktionslandskapet. Produktionslandskapet hade vid båda tillfällena 10 % av arterna som ej påträffades i ekoparken. Totalt 6 rödlistade arter återfanns i ekoparken, men ej i produktionslandskapet. Totalt 3 rödlistade arter påträffades i referensområdet, men dessa påträffades även i ekoparken. Resultaten tyder på att ekoparkens förstärkta hänsyn och naturvårdsinsatser generellt skapar en mer gynnsam miljö för långhorningar jämfört med konventionell produktionsskog. Trots att studien i motsats till hypotesen ej visar någon ökad abundans eller artrikedom över tid finns däremot tecken på att ekoparken har ett värde – i synnerhet med tanke på de totalt 6 rödlistade arter som enbart fanns i ekoparken, och ej i produktionslandskapet

Survey of the effects following treatment against wild grazing in young plantations in eastern Götaland

iv Abstract For many years, the game has been a problem when establishing new forest, which over the years has not become an easier task in traditional forestry. The number of new game species has increased, and the hunters have not been able to keep the populations down. When a newly planted forest is grazed by the game, the quality of the plant deteriorates and a loss of growth occurs, which in turn leads to a downgrading of the log and lower value. The treatments against wild grazing have focused on making the plant less attractive in order for the game to avoid it during a period when the forest is more attractive as a source of food. The purpose of this study was to see if a number of treatments currently available on the market are efficient enough to reduce the grazing in young forest plantations. In southeast Sweden where the study was conducted, different treatments have been used for some time, but with varying results and the question has arisen how well it really works. A field inventory was performed on several different tracts treated with Trico, Arbinol and HaTe2. The inventory of the plants was carried out during the month of April when the most intense grazing period had passed. The inventory on each of the 37 included tracts was carried out as 30 randomly sampled plots for each tract. Within these test plots, information on non-grazed and grazed plants was registered. The result gives an insight that the different treatments had an effect on the amount of grazing. Since the study included a comparison with untreated tracts, a clear pattern could be observed where the percentage of grazed plants was smaller on the treated tracts compared to untreated. The conclusion was that a relatively large difference existed between treated plants and untreated in terms of damage caused by grazing

Doing gender (in) equality in Swedish family farming

Economic and social conditions on Swedish farms have altered in recent decades, restructuring the sector, but the family farm is still the primary production unit. Sweden is often described as a role model in gender equality, but a gender-unequal situation in farming has been identified, posing a political challenge. This thesis critically assessed how gender inequalities are reproduced within Swedish family farming by analysing how the 'doing' of family farming, in terms of labour and material relations, is shaped and reproduced. This approach focused the analysis on relations of and in production, by placing labour and property at the centre. Other approaches yielded novel information. The theoretical frameworks of labour process theory, political economy, feminist standpoint theory and material feminism, provided conceptual space to examine the reproduction of gender inequalities. In mixed method research, two types of survey data, interviews with farmers and literature on occupational health and safety in agriculture were used to analyse gendered access to arable land and farming conditions; the Swedish agrarian structure and the gendered organisation of the labour process; the gendered understating of agricultural health and safety; and the temporalities of Swedish family farming. The results showed how gender inequalities are reproduced in the temporal and spatial organisation and structuring of the labour process and through unequal distribution of resources. Unequal access to arable land contributes particularly to the gendering of farm management, farm diversification and farm ability to provide household income. A spatial stratification was observed, with larger gendered differences in more productive areas. The farm labour process forms the diverse experience of time, space, economy and labour of men and women in family farming. The different spheres and socio-economic modes of the labour process puts men and women in unequal positions, with differing materialised experiences of family farming and farm work; its risks, problems and consequences. The findings highlight the persistence of family farming in the Swedish agrarian structure and the importance of gender mainstreaming in e.g. policy, education and risk prevention work. More research is needed on the gendering effects of renegotiation of the family farm concept and situated agrarian change

Heat Transfer Conditions in Hydrogen-Fired Rotary Kilns for Iron Ore Processing

This work analyzes the heat transfer conditions in a rotary kiln used for the heat treatment of iron ore pellets in the grate-kiln process. The analysis concerns conditions relevant to fuel switching from coal to hydrogen gas. A modeling assessment of the radiative heat transfer in the kiln is conducted including the pellet bed and inner kiln wall temperature conditions. The results show that the heat transfer rate to the iron ore pellets under conditions of a pure hydrogen flame is comparable to the conditions relevant to coal firing. However, it is higher at the kiln wall surfaces near the burner region and lower in the remaining parts of the kiln. Increasing the particle concentration in the hydrogen flame represents a practical implication of co-firing coal with hydrogen. By adding particles, the emittance of radiation from the flame is significantly influenced, leading to further increased kiln surface temperatures closer to the burner position. Increased flame length also showed enhanced heat transfer rates to the kiln wall, although further away from the burner region

Services for What and for Whom? A Literature Review of Private Forest Owners' Decision-Making in Relation to Forest-Based Services

The more distanced forest owners become from their forests, the more room there is for different kinds of advice and service provision to help them in their forest management decisions. Therefore, the quality and adaptation of these services impact the use of forest resources significantly, including at a broader scale. Even though the forest owners' decision-making at the general level, as well as the role of advisory services and their efficiency has been the subject of various studies, literature on how forest owners make decisions in relation to the various types of service provisions appears to be limited, and no systematic review has been found. To offer a better understanding of the present state of knowledge on, and the relations between, decision-making, forest related services, and forest ownership, this literature review provides an overview of the scientific research between 2008 and 2020 on private forest owners' decision-making related to services. The results show that the forest owners' decision-making related to services has been gaining increasing interest as a research topic, especially during the last 5-6 years. However, it is still dominated by a few countries and contexts. In addition, in the current research decision-making concept is mostly understood as a decision outcome i.e., the forest owners' choice between typically two alternatives. The importance of process-based understanding on decision-making, on the other hand, seemed to be largely missing from the forest owner studies. As conclusions, five proposals for future research avenues are presented

99 år i arbetarrörelsens tjänst - vad hände sen? - En studie om vad som skedde med Värmlands Folkblad då den köptes upp av Nya Wermlands-Tidningen

The purpose of this study is to examine how the acquisition of the newspaper Värmlands Folkblad by their largest regional competitor affected the content of the news in Värmlands Folkblad. These effects are studied by examining the subjects, the places and the actants that are represented in the news, before and after the acquisition. To further understand the situation, this study uses theories about diversity, market concentration, commercialization and how outer factors affect the news. These theories help to better understand the situation and how the media market is changing and how it might affect the content of the news. There is some earlier research in this subject area that is relevant to this study. There is not a conclusive answer on what market concentration does to the content of the news, some researchers claim that it in some ways can be good for diversity, other researchers disagree. This study adds to the already existing research and gives valuable contribution to the subject area. The study uses a quantitative method of content analysis. 2574 articles were coded in three periods before and three periods after the acquisition. As a complement to the content analysis, several people with insight in the situation were interviewed. These people contributed with background information which helped to better understand the results from the content analysis. The results of the content analysis show that there have been no significant changes to the content of the news in the studied newspaper. Some organizational changes have been made that can be connected to theories about how outer factors affect the content of the news. The largest change can be found in the sports editorial. Three sport reporters lost their jobs and some of the sport coverage is now made by the larger newspaper. Hence the biggest change in subjects and actants is found in the variables sports and athletes. However this change is not substantial and the most important results of this study is that there has not been any major change. Therefore the acquisition could be seen as successful as there is no big change to the diversity of the regional media market. It is important to keep in mind that the time frame for this study is quite limited, which means that we cannot make any conclusions about the long-term effects of this acquisition

Jämställdhet som branschgemensam strategi i skogsbrukssektorn 2013-2015

Den svenska skogssektorn står inför stora utmaningar för att kunna anpassa sig till ökad konkurrens på råvaror, tjänster och arbetskraft i övergången mot en biobaserade ekonomin. Detta kräver en större innovationsförmåga. Projektet Jämställdhet som branschgemensam strategi i skogsbrukssektorn har med utgångspunkt i den nationella jämställdhetsstrategin syftat till att analysera och utveckla det branschgemensamma jämställdhetsarbetet. Policyanalys kombinerad med en interaktiv forskningsmetod, som inkluderar sektorns olika parter i den kunskapsskapande processen, har utgjort projektets övergripande forskningsansats. Projektet har finansierats av VINNOVA och pågått från november 2013 till augusti 2015. Arbetet har genomförts med hjälp av organisationsspecifika studier och dialogbaserade workshops kring de jämställdhetsstrategiska insatserna, med avsikten att utveckla och etablera en erfarenhetsbaserad plattform för jämställdhetsinnovation i skogsbrukssektorn. De organisationsspecifika studierna har genomförts under 2014 och fokuserat på ett antal jämställdhetsfrämjande åtgärder. Resultaten från dessa inledande undersökningar och analyser har legat till grund för tre stycken workshops med branschens aktörer. Att skogsbrukssektorn traditionellt dominerats av män är något som tydligt präglar dagens skogliga organisationer och utbildningar. Olika ansatser har gjorts för att locka fler kvinnor till skogen och deras andel ha under de senare decennierna långsamt stigit. Dock ligger andelen idag fortsatt på en relativt låg. Mönstret som har växt fram visar att sektorn har svårt att attrahera och rekryter kvinnor och andra grupper av män, som t.ex. från städer eller med en annan etnisk bakgrund. Tidigare studier visar att kvinnor, bland annat till följd av den maskulina skogliga kulturen, inte identifierar sig med eller känner sig inkluderade i skogsbrukssektorn (Lidestav et al., 2011). De skogliga utbildningarna utgör den primära vägen in och förser sektorn med rekryterings- och kompetensunderlag för alla dess nivåer. I dagsläget utgör kvinnorna en minoritet vid de olika utbildningarna. Mindre fem procent av eleverna på landets skogliga inriktningar vid naturbruksgymnasierna är flickor. Vid SLU:s Skogsmästarprogram och Jägmästarprogram är motsvarande andel ungefär 20 respektive 30 procent. Ett steg i att gemensamt förändra den nuvarande situationen inom sektorns arbetsorganisationer har varit jämställdhetsstrategin ”Konkurrenskraft kräver jämställdhet” som lanserades 2011. Ur detta arbete har det växt fram ett antal jämställdhetsfrämjande insatser som inom olika områden har syftat till att bidra till en positiv utveckling. Dessa insatser har dock kommit olika långt och implementerats på skilda sätt. Det är i detta sammanhang som projektet har verkat och interagerat. Dess resultat bidrar både till att stärka det genusvetenskapliga forskningsfältet och till kunskapsbaserade jämställdhetsåtgärder i skogsnäringen. I denna slutrapport beskrivs projektet, dess genomförande och innehåll. De olika delstudier och aktiviteter som har utgjort centrala katalysatorer i genomförandet och kunskapandet presenteras var för sig. Med detta som bas blickar projektet avslutningsvis framåt genom att ge tre konkreta förslag kring hur jämställdhetsarbetet bör utvecklas i framtiden

Serotonin Depletion-Induced Maladaptive Aggression Requires the Presence of Androgens

The sex hormone testosterone and the neurotransmitter serotonin exert opposite effects on several aspects of behavior including territorial aggression. It is however not settled if testosterone exerts its pro-aggressive effects by reducing serotonin transmission and/or if the anti-aggressive effect of serotonin requires the presence of the androgen. Using the resident intruder test, we now show that administration of the serotonin synthesis inhibitor parachlorophenylalanine (300 mg/kg x 3 days) increases the total time of attack as well as the percentage amount of social behavior spent on attack but not that spent on threat - i.e. that it induces a pattern of unrestricted, maladaptive aggression - in gonadectomized C57Bl/6 male mice receiving testosterone replacement; in contrast, it failed to reinstate aggression in those not given testosterone. Whereas these results suggest the pro-aggressive effect of testosterone to be independent of serotonin, and not caused by an inhibition of serotonergic activity, the pCPA-induced induction of maladaptive aggression appears to require the presence of the hormone. In line with these findings, pCPA enhanced the total time of attack as well the relative time spent on attacks but not threats also in wild-type gonadally intact male C57Bl/6 mice, but failed to reinstate aggression in mice rendered hypo-aggressive by early knock-out of androgen receptors in the brain (AR(NesDel) mice). We conclude that androgenic deficiency does not dampen aggression by unleashing an anti-aggressive serotonergic influence; instead serotonin seems to modulate aggressive behavior by exerting a parallel-coupled inhibitory role on androgen-driven aggression, which is irrelevant in the absence of the hormone, and the arresting of which leads to enhanced maladaptive aggression