Corporate "Bail-Outs" and Local "Buyouts": Pathways to Community Forestry?

Abstract

In the early 1990s, two Canadian newsprint mills formerly owned by large corporations were purchased locally through management or employee/management buyouts. This effectively established local control and decision making over mill and forestry operations for substantial amounts of land in Ontario and Manitoba. Over the last decade there has been considerable discussion in the literature regarding community forestry. Local ownership and control appear to be the most important criteria for determining whether community forestry exists. Our question is, "Do these examples of locally owned and operated forestry operations constitute community forestry?" We review definitions of community forestry, describe the circumstances of the two cases, and analyze qualitative interview data from both communities. Some criteria of community forestry are fulfilled in these cases, while others are not. The local buyouts did not last more than 6 years, but interestingly, the new corporate owners maintained some elements of community forestry.