The potential for sustainable forestry in Washington State: A discursive and institutional analysis

This dissertation examines the prospects for widespread adoption of sustainable forestry practices on all ownership types in Washington State. Concepts from ecological economics (incommensurability of values and post-normal science) and political theory (communicative rationality and discursive democracy) are reviewed to provide the theoretical rationale for examining participatory research and decision methods for ecosystem management. The history of forest management and current science regarding ecosystem resilience and sustainable forestry are discussed to describe the context in which the potential for conflict resolution is analyzed. Two empirical methods are then employed: discourse analysis using Q method and institutional analysis. Q method is used to evaluate the structure of public dialogue around a particular topic, the results of which can form the basis for more successful public participation processes. This Q study was designed to ascertain: (1) the potential to find a common basis for cooperation among groups with a long history of conflict over forest management issues in Washington, and (2) the extent to which current science pertaining to sustainable forest ecosystem management is commonly understood among these same actors. Thirty people with experience in forestry issues ranked 64 statements about forest management in the region on a scale of +4 (strongly agree) to -4 (strongly disagree). Each participant's ranking pattern is called a Q sort. Individual Q sorts were factor analyzed to derive ideal discourse types.; Three discourse types emerged from the statistical analysis: precautionary ecosystem management, rural community economic concerns, and bridge-building. Results indicate a strong desire across discourse types and stakeholder groups to engage in participatory decision-making with people from all sides of the issues. They also indicate a lack of consensus about the exact meaning of sustainable forestry. The institutional analysis describes current decision-making institutions for forest management in Washington compared to the ideal of discursive democracy, and in terms of the kinds of obstacles faced by those advocating for the adoption of sustainable forestry practices. Lack of opportunity for constructive dialogue among conflicting groups and pressures on forest products markets from globalization are identified as two major institutional obstacles to sustainable forestry.