Management and governance of forestry operations: two theories for practitioners

Forest management is a complex task, which is carried out by a large number of stakeholders. Differing interests and information asymmetries often lead to challenges in cooperation resulting in resource-intensive negotiations and impairing efficiency. In this situation, theories can help to structure the complex issues, explain the underlying relationships and identify specific recommendations for cooperation. This article presents two important theories, the principal-agent theory and the stewardship theory, and presents specific measures that can be applied to cooperations in forestry.