Northern Periphery Programme

Enhancing Local Activity and Values from Forest Land through community-led strategic planning. - ELAV

Measure: 3.2
Eligible Budget: 1 389 368 euros
NPP Award: 742 935 euros

The countries involved in the ELAV project all have different forest histories and resources, but they face common challenges in respect of delivering local benefits from forestry. The ELAV project will work with rural communities, municipalities, forest companies, landowners and forest authorities to action sustainable rural development based on strategic forest planning for the development of multipurpose natural/forest resources. The project areas will act as pilots in developing strategic planning tools, which will be reviewed and refined on the basis of project experience.

Three key issues have been identified for the project:

Planning: how to develop community involvement with the strategic forest planning process at a sub-regional scale.

Rural Development Opportunities: how to design new forests and adapt forest management regimes to optimise a full range of rural development opportunities.

Silvicultural expertise: how to develop and disseminate the silvicultural expertise to support and implement community aspirations for forest design and management.

Lead Organisation:
Regional Forestry Board of Dalarna-Gavleborg, Sweden

Contact Person: Ms Denise Fahlander Address: Ribbholmsvägen 9 Älvdalen SE 796 31 Sweden	Telephone: +46 251-597 387 Fax: +46 251-109 90 Email: denise.fahlander@svswx.svo.se Website: www.elavproject.com
Start Date: 01/01/2005	End Date: 31/12/2007

Project Publications

ELAV Case Study.pdf - 1803K

Objectives

ELAV will involve local communities in forest planning at the strategic level, with a focus on identifying opportunities to adapt forest management regimes to better deliver rural development objectives, specifically in tourism. The project will also involve exploitation of non-timber forest resources and local processing, to provide a forum for identification and dissemination of necessary silvicultural and technical expertise, and to develop and refine spatial planning methodologies and tools for use elsewhere.

Project Activities

The following features will be common to the planning process in all five-partner nations:

· Establishment of a forum involving state and private forest owners, managers and regulators, and local communities and other stakeholders
· Gathering and collation of a range of inventory and other data, including community aspirations
· Creation of a strategic forest plan focussing on enhancing multipurpose use of forests and forest lands and identifying opportunities for rural development
· Refinement of methodologies employed to produce planning tools applicable in other regions and sectors

Expected Results

The project will provide a broad spectrum of benefits to the NPP area through both the development of forestry practice and the transfer of lessons and models to other sectors involving interactive planning of rural resources.

· Establishment of 5 forums for co-operation in forestry questions involving forest managers & communities and a range of solutions for involving communities in strategic planning. Specific project areas will function as pilots in the development of nationally and transnationally appropriate methodologies and planning tools
· 5 sub-regional forest plans, identifying the opportunities for forestry and forest land to better deliver rural development objectives
· A management and development plan for forest research experimental plantations on Scottish islands
· 8 international exchanges (four persons per trip), targeted at appropriate groups and individuals
· 4 thematic reports collating experience and good practice in community engagement, tourism development, exploitation of non-timber forest products and local processing
· Development and dissemination of locally appropriate silvicultural expertise and techniques to assist forest managers
· A range of environmental benefits (biodiversity, visual amenity at the landscape scale) arising from enhanced management of commercial forests.

Partners: (click name for additional info)

European Union

Cross Programme Initiatives