Information Sharing and Collaboration Among Connecticut Forest Managers

Keywords: Social Network, Collaboration, Forests
Session Type: Virtual Poster Abstract
Day: Sunday
Session Start / End Time: 2/27/2022 02:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/27/2022 03:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 38

Abstract

Multiple abiotic and biotic stressors affect roadside forests, where unhealthy and damaged trees can threaten electric utility infrastructure. Addressing such challenges requires collective action among stakeholders with diverse management objectives working across various land uses and ownerships. However, little is known about how interrelationships among individual stakeholders in the forest management community affect information exchange and collaboration. The objective of this study was to evaluate how stakeholder interrelationships affect the structure of the forest management community network and influence information sharing about the management of forest stressors and roadside vegetation. We used semi-structured interviews to collect data about interactions among stakeholders involved in forestland management in the state of Connecticut. We used social network analysis to measure how information sharing, land management objectives, and land ownership type influenced the formation of the overall stakeholder network structure. Our analysis included 92 stakeholders and 178 relationships that exist within the Connecticut forest management social network. Among stakeholders evaluated, we found the network to have a low density, suggesting that there is a lack of connectivity among stakeholders, which could inhibit the diffusion of information across the forest management community. Results also suggested that the importance of information sharing facilitated stronger relationships among stakeholders than the importance of mutual management objectives. Deliberate collaboration among forest professionals with diverse land management objectives and experiences may facilitate knowledge exchange about innovative forest management practices to adapt to environmental changes and improve electric utility infrastructure resiliency.