From resource crisis to sustainability: the forest transition in Denmark

Abstract

SUMMARY After prolonged deforestation, the Danish forest area had shrunk to under 5% of the land area by the beginning of the nineteenth century. Contraction then halted, and expansion began, to the extent that the forest area has now more than doubled. The transition from shrinking to expanding forest area is outlined, and is explained in terms of a crisis-response theory in the context of the operation of a combination of 'necessary' factors. The occurrence of a forest-resource crisis triggered a shift to a trajectory of sustainability only when these 'necessary' conditions were satisfied. At the same time, the Danish forest transition appears to have been achieved at less social cost than in many other countries. The implications of the Danish case for transitions to forest sustainability in the modern world are considered. Key words: sustainabilityforest transitioncrisis—response modelDenmark