TRENDS IN NATIONAL FOREST VALUES AMONG FORESTRY PROFESSIONALS, ENVIRONMENTALISTS, AND THE NEWS MEDIA, 1982-1993

This study empirically analyzes the evolution of national forest value s in recent years. Four broad categories of forest values are distingu ished: economic/utilitarian, life support, aesthetic, and moral/spirit ual. A computerized content analysis procedure was developed to identi fy expressions of these four forest values related to the national for ests. With this procedure, changes in the forest value systems of thre e groups-forestry professionals, mainstream environmentalists, and the general public-were tracked over time. Forest value systems were foun d to have shifted over the study period, and significant differences w ere found between the forest value systems of the three groups. Implic ations of this study for ecosystem management are discussed.