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Forest Value Orientations in Australia: An Application of Computer Content Analysis

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Abstract

This article explores the expression of three forest value orientations that emerged from an analysis of Australian news media discourse about the management of Australian native forests from August 1, 1997 through December 31, 2004. Computer-coded content analysis was used to measure and track the relative importance of commodity, ecological and moral/spiritual/aesthetic forest value orientations. The number of expressions of these forest value orientations followed major events in forest management and policy, with peaks corresponding to finalization of Regional Forest Agreements and conflicts over forest management. Over the time period analyzed, the relative share of commodity value orientation decreased and the shares of the ecological and moral/spiritual/aesthetic value orientations increased. The shifts in forest value orientations highlight the need for native forests to be managed for multiple values and the need for continued monitoring of forest values.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Co-operative Research Programme, Biological Resource Management for Sustainable Agricultural Systems, for a fellowship that enabled Dr. Webb to participate in this research effort. The USDA Forest Service, North Central Research Station and the Bureau of Rural Sciences, Australian Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry provided additional support.

The authors thank Ian Byron, Jackie Schirmer, and four anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on an earlier version of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Food Standards Australia New Zealand, P.O. Box 7186, Canberra, BC, ACT 2610, Australia

    Trevor J. Webb

  2. Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, 1992 Folwell Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA

    David N. Bengston

  3. Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota–Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    David P. Fan

Authors
  1. Trevor J. Webb
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  2. David N. Bengston
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  3. David P. Fan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Trevor J. Webb.

Additional information

Research carried out while employed by the Bureau of Rural Sciences, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, Canberra, Australia.

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Webb, T.J., Bengston, D.N. & Fan, D.P. Forest Value Orientations in Australia: An Application of Computer Content Analysis. Environmental Management 41, 52–63 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-007-9011-4

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