Controlling Private Forest Owners in Lithuania: Rigid Regulation or Advisory Counseling?

The restitution of private forest ownership has necessitated development of new institutions for controlling the management of private forests. This study analyzes the present and the desired extent of control in Lithuania, based on surveys of private forest owners and environmental inspectors. The state largely relies on direct regulation, i.e. owners face numerous silvicultural and environmental restrictions enforced via an elaborate system of permissions. Most respondents provide a fairly good assessment of the present control system, though claiming that its extent and requirements should be reduced in future. Both forest owners and environmental inspectors believe that the currently dominant "controlling regulation" should be modified to adequately encompass "activating consultation". Furthered consultancy and training would reduce the amount of violations in private forests and, supplemented with properly designed economic incentives, promote more effective private forestry.