Development of forest discourses across Europe: A longitudinal perspective

Using secondary literature and interviews, this paper examines forest discourses since World War II in four countries: Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Sweden. The national discourses often thematically coincide between the case countries, most prominently in the post-war endeavour to restore forest resources. This period was followed by diverging ideas and practices such as abandonment and fragmentation in Italy, resource conservation by stealth in Lithuania, multifunctionality in the Netherlands, and ongoing intensification in Sweden. Recently, the national discourses have been re-converging on the environment and the bioeconomy, albeit at different times and intensity. Overall, many national ideological battles follow the global meta-discourses, but linkages to these are much weaker for forestry practices. •Examination of forest discourses in four EU countries: Lithuania, Netherlands, Sweden and Italy•Socio-economic crises and disruptions affect discourse formation and renewal•Post-war forest restoration discourse is similar in all four countries•The four countries focus respectively on resource conservation, multifunctionality, intensification and decentralization•Overarching meta-discourses include modernization, ecological modernization, sustainability, climate change, and bioeconomy.