Forest research from a critical perspective - How can it contribute to new knowledge?

This paper develops insights from critical social theory with the aim of laying some foundations for critical forest research (CFR). The authors argue that such an approach could create needed knowledge about contemporary forest issues. In doing so, the paper first delves into the distinction between forest policy and politics of forests which is identified as a conceptually relevant issue within the context of CFR. Second, it uses the outcomes of the workshop Forest research from a critical perspective - How can it contribute to new knowledge? that was convened by the authors at the first Nordic Conference on Forest Policy Science held in Uppsala October 2010 to build on the conceptualisation of politics and policy within forest research. The combined findings of both a literature review on the issue of politics of forest and forest policy and the aforementioned workshop show that the conceptual difference between policy and politics is a key theoretical issue in relation to future prospects for CFR. In addition the results of the workshop clearly identified the epistemological, normative, social change dimensions and awareness of structural barriers as being at the core of attempts to develop theoretically grounded CFR. It is argued that a clarification of the concept "critique" is important within this context.