Willingness to change and transition pain - exploring forestry students’ views on future forestry

This study explores the thoughts of forestry students at upper secondary school about future working life, as well as their hopes and concerns related to the phase-out of intensive forest management practices. How students relate to forest is seen as central to understanding the emotions that shape their view of the future. The concept of transition pain is used to analyse feelings such as resistance and perceived unfairness. The study is based on seven focus groups involving 35 Swedish forestry students. Findings reveal that students see forests as crucial for their well-being and social lives. Students' caring relationship with forest is challenged by the high rate of production in forestry and they express concern about how this may contribute to personal stress and soil damage. Students express transition pain by discussing how different forest management methods could change the appearance of the forest and thereby their ability to engage in forest-related activities. They also raise concerns that phasing out intensive forestry management practices might create challenges for the industry and affect their future job opportunities. At the same time, they express hope in the growing environmental awareness and convey their own willingness to contribute to the transformation of forestry. The study suggests that the emotional dimension needs to be included in discussions of professional socialisation and that forestry education has a vital role in creating space for reflections, to help students navigate ambivalence and critically assess different forest management approaches. Such reflections may also contribute to a capacity to drive change.