Sustainability is a traditional moral principle in forestry. The modern
versions of sustainability constitute the multidimensionality of the concept,
for example “the Forest Principles” declare that forest resources
and forest lands shall be managed and used sustainably to fulfill social,
economic, ecological, cultural and spiritual needs of present and future
generations. Formulations like this can be even seen as a new moral constitution
for forest management, and deserving of ethical considerations. Integrating
and balancing the new dimensions of sustainable forest management has
brought complicated and challenging tasks for forest professions and sciences.
Forest ethics hopes to contribute to these matters, creating, for example
a common ground and understanding for the required dialogues. In addition,
there has been a long list of issues in forestry where moral arguments
are used and needed in debates and in subsequent attempts to find solutions
for conflicts. The practice of forest ethics has thus been in existence
well before its emergence as a specific subject among forest sciences.
But what in more defined terms is the scope, contents, specific topics
and the role of forest ethics among other disciplines and focused research
areas related to forests and forestry? Can it be defined simply as a tiny
part of applied ethics with focus on forests, or should it be considered
rather as a second cousin of environmental ethics? Could it provide beneficial
contributions in the areas drafted above, to the burning issues of world
forestry or any support to more common problems foresters, other professionals,
forest owners and forest industries meet in their businesses and professional
practices? These are among the major topics, which a new IUFRO Unit 6.05.00
- Forest ethics is willing to discuss in its first official workshop,
to be organized as part of IUFRO Division VI Symposium, Integrative Science
for Integrative Management, during August 14-20, 2007, in Saariselkä,
Finland.
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