Innovation and entrepreneurship in forestry in Central Europe / / Ewald Rametsteiner, Gerhard Weiss and Klaus Kubeczko.

• Superior document: European Forest Institute research report ; 19
• Author: European Forest Institute.
• VerfasserIn: Rametsteiner, Ewald,
• TeilnehmendeR: Rametsteiner, Ewald.; Weiss, Gerhard, 1966-; Kubeczko, Klaus.; European Forest Institute.
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden ;, Boston : : Brill,, [2005]; ©2005
• Year of Publication: 2005
• Language: English
• Series: Research report (European Forest Institute) ; 19.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource.
• Notes: "European Forest Institute; Innoforce, EFI Project Centre."

Current developments in Central Europe will have far-reaching consequences on the region's forestry and related institutional arrangements, such as forest administration, extension services and forest research. Future prospects for the rural population living on income from forestry will considerably depend on how individuals and organisations react in view of these changes. It will be vitally important how forest owners and managers apply new knowledge in forestry and how organisations best deal with the emerging changes. Innovation and entrepreneurship are main driving forces for economic growth, competitiveness and employment creation, especially in rural areas. From 2001 to 2003, the EFI Regional Project Centre INNOFORCE conducted research on innovation and entrepreneurship in forestry in Central Europe, seeking answers to the following questions: What is the situation and perceived future outlook for forestry in the region? How important are innovation and entrepreneurship considered in the sector? How much innovation and entrepreneurship is actually taking place? What are supporting and impeding factors? The research report provides new knowledge on innovation behaviour of forest holdings and forest related innovation systems in Central Europe and on changes that are necessary to enhance innovation and entrepreneurship in the sector. Survey results are accompanied by lessons learned from more than 30 cases referring to innovations in forestry implemented in eight countries.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgements -- 1. Background and Objectives -- 2. Theory -- 2.1 Innovation systems -- 2.2 Entrepreneurs / entrepreneurship -- 3. Innovation and Entrepreneurship Monitors -- 3.1 European Innovation Scoreboard -- 3.2 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor -- 4. Method -- 4.1 Overall approach -- 4.2 Forest holdings survey -- 4.3 Institutional system survey -- 4.4 Case study analysis -- 5. Frame Conditions for Innovations in Forestry in Central Europe -- 5.1 Forest resources and their utilization in Central Europe -- 5.2 Ownership structures -- 5.3 Educational background of forest managers/owners -- 5.4 Goals and strategies of forest management -- 5.5 Decision making structures and distribution of work -- 5.6 Product mix and contribution to income -- 6. Forest-owners and Forest Managers as Innovators -- 6.1 Innovation behaviour -- 6.2 Sources of impulse and information for innovation -- 6.3 Fostering factors for innovation -- 6.4 Impeding factors to innovation -- 6.5 Suggestions for improvements in innovation support -- 7. Forest owners and forest managers as entrepreneurs: start-ups in forestry -- 7.1 Entrepreneurship activities and behaviour -- 7.2 Support, fostering and impeding factors for start-ups -- 8. Entrepreneurial Orientation and Future Expectations -- 8.1 Entrepreneurial orientation of forest owners and forest managers -- 9. Institutional System of Innovation -- 9.1 Key actors in sectoral innovation systems and their views -- 9.2 Market expectations of institutional system actors -- 10. Innovation Systems and Processes: Lessons from Selected Cases -- 10.1 Wood products: Looking beyond the forest -- 10.2 Non-wood products: Marketing traditional products -- 10.3 Nature conservation services: From regulation to contracts -- 10.4 Recreational services: Accommodation and forest education -- 10.5 New technologies: Further mechanisation of forest work -- 10.6 The organisational challenge: Horizontal and vertical co-operation -- 10.7 Comparative analysis -- 10.8 Entrepreneurship in forestry -- 10.9 The role of sectoral and regional innovation systems in forestry -- innovations -- 11. Conclusions and Recommendations -- 11.1 Note the frame conditions for innovation -- 11.2 The current situation: Shortcomings and surprising strengths -- 11.3 Do institutional actors understand the needs of forest owners and -- managers? -- 11.4 How well are the three innovation system functions fulfilled? -- 11.5 Summary of recommendations -- Abbreviations -- References.