Social Media as Support Channels in Communication with Society on Sustainable Forest Management

Abstract

This article deals with the issue of using social media to promote sustainable forest management. Major forest managers see significant value in combining various social media channels and implementing a communication campaign. With the help of social media, it is possible to raise public awareness of rational forest management. The purpose of this research was to conduct an in-depth theoretical and research analysis of the use of increasingly common communication channels such as social media. The research and analysis period was set from 1–26 July 2018. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of communication activities, the social media survey was repeated from 1–21 January 2019 and from 1–21 July 2020. The control analysis focused on the use of the main social media channels. The article assumed the hypothesis of conscious actions in the communication of forest management institutions in social media to communicate the rational use of forest resources. The hypothesis was positively verified on the basis of quantitative and qualitative studies of nonparticipatory observation for selected social media (Facebook, Instagram) and analysis of data contained in social media channels. The pilot study was conducted on 45 forestry entities from Poland. The results of the survey indicate the growing use of social media to communicate with the public about forest management. The dominant share of respondents consider social media as effective channels for forest education. Facebook is the most popular channel for conducting dialogue with the public. The results of the qualitative survey confirm the superiority of a graphic or mixed form of information presentation over the written form alone. This confirms the observed trends of increasing use of infographics, especially in communication with younger generations.

1. Introduction

Nowadays, there is an increase in dynamics in communication between forest managers and society. When implementing the principles of sustainable forest management, there is no uniform interpretation of the rules and principles of forest management or the effectiveness of information transfer using traditional forms and communication channels. There are misconceptions about forest education among society, as well as a lack of dialogue and an increasingly common phenomenon of digitization of contacts between forest management organizations and the society. A special role in this respect should be given to social media, and they should be seen as an effective space to increase society’s awareness about sustainable forest management. Sustainable development translates into the application of the principles of ecological influence on the environment and adapting to the changes occurring in it. Its introduction is carried out in the direction of fulfilling the international obligation to provide social and environmental tasks in addition to economic tasks [1,2,3]. As a result of a review of existing studies [4,5,6,7,8], it can be concluded that attempts have been made to conduct a very broad dialogue; however, there are no in-depth studies on the use of social media in communication between groups of communities involved in the production of forest products and the public. The relevance of research on the role of social media in the relationship between forest producers and Polish society is evidenced by activities highlighting the need for new forms of education, contact and even discussion. The forest policy conditions implemented by European Union countries depend, inter alia, on the balancing of the ecological expectations of the society towards forests to enable the permanent preservation of their biological wealth for future generations in relation to the economic function of forests [9,10]. The decisive role here is played by an increase in society’s awareness of forest management and its natural foundations [11,12]. Research on the preservation of sustainable development of forest resources should be supported by education and in-depth research in order to adapt these principles to European regulations [13,14,15,16] and economic needs in relation to ecosystem services and new forms of communication. Forests require continuous development and proper management to prepare for future challenges and create a structure of innovative forest areas [17,18]. The importance of a reliable two-way flow of information is as important as the process of caring for the health of forests. Natural disasters, which are becoming worse, have driven the need for an increased wide communication of information between both local and general community groups. Reducing conflicts and discrepancies between forest management objectives and social expectations, especially in a disaster situation, is part of proper informative activities [19]. Informing the public should become the standard conduct for forest management entities (in Poland these are mostly the State Forests—LP) at all levels of management and should be carried out in a continuous and coordinated manner. Activities in this regard should, as a rule, be initiated by the State Forests and forest workers at all levels. It becomes necessary to adapt the rules in relation to the forms of contacts with society, which should apply not only to the provision of information regarding the justification of the adopted directions of management but also to the consideration of social comments and expectations related to planned forest management [20,21,22,23,24,25].

For the purposes of this study, the phrase concerning sustainable forest management (rational use of forest resources) was used as the preservation of the functions of forests and its beneficial impact on the environment and human health, as well as natural diversity and balance. In addition, sustainable forest management means the protection of forests and its values—both in terms of preserving natural diversity, forest resources and landscape values—and meeting the educational needs of communities in this regard [26]. The term “channels” of social media was also used, which in this study covers platforms, websites, portals, etc. Individual forms of communication [27,28] are of particular importance in relation to these channels. For example, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are referred to as social media tools.

Given the importance of the rational management of forest resources, the authors identified the need to verify whether social media are a form of support for the communication of the public with the forest manager in Poland [29], which is the State Forests National Forest Holding (PGLLP), on sustainable development [30,31,32].

Public sentiment regarding the use of forest resources for industrial purposes often deviates from the assumptions that guarantee the energy security of EU countries. It is necessary to verify the level of public awareness in the form of a criterion for qualitative assessment of emotions aroused by the management of forest resources [33,34,35,36,37].

The media act as an intermediary for the transfer of information between researchers, industry and the public, explaining the logistical processes of the flow of wood materials to the public [38,39]. According to researchers, for citizens, knowledge about forest management comes mainly from mass media. The transfer of information through scientific publications or the direct use of scientific knowledge is negligible [40]. The use of forest products, and especially wood, is receiving increasing attention in the mass media zone. In an era of reduced availability of raw materials, it is cited as a strategy for maintaining a high level of economy and living comfort in society. Previous studies analyzing media reports on wood management have attempted to determine how it is perceived. These analyses show that forestry production is seen by the media as beneficial to industrial development, although it is not often mentioned in conjunction with the energy economy. Media mentions point to the importance of forest production for climate change and as an alternative to other fossil fuels or plastics. In the online space, opinions on the importance of EU countries’ forest management are sharply divided [41,42].

The purpose of the article was to conduct a theoretical and research analysis of how to use the widespread communication channels of today such as social media, through which public awareness of the rational use of forest resources can be developed. Social media provide centrifugal engagement, understood as an impact not only by the entity directly transmitting a message, but also through the network community to which messages are transmitted [43,44,45,46,47]. A given audience becomes a carrier of both information and rules that concern the verification of compliance and quality of the transmitted information. To achieve their goals, the authors assumed the following hypothesis: the PGLLP is consciously implementing communication activities as a national forest management institution through social media to convey information about the principles of introducing the rational use of forest resources. The hypothesis was verified based on the analysis of PGLLP’s social media activities and how the PGLLP manages information about sustainable forest management. Furthermore, primary research was conducted that involved central and regional management units of the PGLLP and subordinate units selected among them that represent “forest districts”.

Silviculture is a branch of forest management with the goal of ensuring the permanence and high productivity of forests and the continuity of development and stability of forest ecosystems through the gradual achievement of dynamic equilibrium in forest ecosystems, the formation of nonreproductive functions of the forest and friendly links of forest management with the socioeconomic environment, ensuring the production of timber and non-timber uses. These tasks are carried out by securing the genetic richness of forests; securing the demand for seeds; producing high-quality planting material of forest trees used to carry out regeneration and afforestation; using appropriate forms of use to achieve the right species composition and structure of forest stands; ongoing restoration of forest resources while preserving their natural biodiversity; and through proper tending, adapting to the development phases of forest stands [48,49].

2. Materials and Methods

In the 21st century, social media are considered an essential and already primary channel of communication with the public. Regardless of the subject concerned, they are present and offer the opportunity for active communication. Statistics on interest in profiles, views, likes and comments on various social media of State Forests show that the messages posted there have a huge impact on the public perception of the entity. The statistics of the Facebook profile of the State Forests can be used as an example. In the first week of its creation in 2015, it already recorded its first thousand users; in 2017 more than 30,000; and now in 2022 it already has more than 124,000 followers [50]. The statistics presented in the material show how powerful social media are for creating communication promoting the idea of sustainable forest management.

To make an in-depth analysis of PGLLP’s social media activities, triangulation was applied. Combining different research methods makes it possible to test the same hypothesis and reduces the possibility of error due to limitations of individual methods. The use of triangulation, which incorporates quantitative as well as qualitative research approaches, provides more comprehensive information about the studied phenomenon under despite possible contradictions between them [51,52]. In addition, triangulation provides a greater depth to the study, and in particular, contributes to expanding knowledge in the context of the analyzed phenomenon. Triangulation of research methods involves the use of several methods in a single research project [53]. By doing so, potential errors that could occur are eliminated by minimizing the imperfections and drawbacks of the individual methods [54]. In addition, due to the individual specificity and application of each research method, a different type of data can be obtained using them, which together provide a broader perspective and more accurate information [55].

Observation was adopted as the main research method, which was supported by desk research and illustrative qualitative research based on purposive sampling. Observation, understood as a scientific method, is defined by the process of carefully and deliberately receiving stimuli or information, which is part of scientific research method. It is also the process of collecting and interpreting data in their natural course, when they remain in the immediate area accessible to the researcher [56]. The method is also used to gain a deeper understanding of the social dynamics of the audience and the affective dimensions of their behavior [57]. Further, observation is a valuable source of information that determines the actual behavior of the analyzed information flows between the PGLLP and social groups in real life [58]. The method was adapted to the needs of digital communication in virtual space and channels such as social media. This type of observation has been referred to as secondary observation, which is a combination of the observation method and desk research. The area of data collection is the timeline of a given social media channel, where the actions that take place are recorded [59].

Main social media channels were used as areas of analysis. Facebook and Instagram, as well as YouTube, were observed. These social media constitute the main channels used to communicate with the network community. In addition, the information flow implemented by the Twitter microblog, managed by the Media Team and the PGLLP press spokesperson, was also verified. However, the authors do not refer in detail to all channels due to the very extensive research scope of the entire study. Since the available portals, websites or blogs enable the evaluation of communication activities to a different extent, assumptions were made for each channel and its tools. The time of the study and analysis has been set for variable periods depending on the type of given social channel and the way of presenting its content.

The internalized process of development of social communication regarding the activities of the State Forests occurred after 2014, when the new management strategies of PGLLP were introduced. The research was conducted after a four-year period of intensified pro-social activities. Observation was nonparticipant and covert. In the case of Facebook, the following characteristics were observed: time of publishing content; number of likes, comments and shares; and the forms of communication used. The observation period spanned fourteen days, from 1 July 2018 to 14 July 2018. With the criteria adopted, it was possible to analyze profile management, based on which a partial verification of the hypothesis was made. In the case of Instagram, the following were considered as part of the analysis: frequency of publication, number of likes and the form of communication that was used during the 25-day period between 1 July 2018 and 26 July 2018. The longer content analysis time was dictated by a competition launched on the portal related to assessing forest attractiveness. The authors wanted to assess how engagement was built and analyze how the intensity of interest was shaped using a homogeneous form of social communication.

Since the intensity of posting video materials on YouTube is not assessed by their publication within one week or month, as users have easier access to them and their timeliness is much longer, the published content was analyzed over a period of 6 months from January to July 2018.

All the identified social media channels were analyzed in terms of possible communication activities and the current level of published information on the rational use of forest resources. To evaluate the effectiveness of implemented activities and maintain a consistent communication policy on forest management, the social media study was repeated after 18 months, in the period of 1–21 January 2020. Facebook was observed, which was declared as the most frequently used channel. The other channels were verified in terms of published content and frequency of use to communicate information on sustainable forest management.

As part of desk research involving digital data, the document entitled Księga identyfikacji wizualnej kampanii “Lasy Państwowe. Dla lasu, dla ludzi” (Visual identity book of the “State Forests. For Forests, for People” campaign) and the website “www.lasy.gov.pl” (accessed on 21 September 2022) were also analyzed. The authors assessed the indicated examples of virtual documents in verbal and visual terms and in terms of communication coherence; however, the current level of the provision and communication of information about the social media channels used and the content published in them regarding sustainable forest management was the main subject of analysis.

To reinforce the analysis based on secondary observation and desk research, a quantitative analysis was used, which included a pilot survey, the results of which are presented in this study. The adopted surveying technique was CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interview), which is a form of quantitative measurement that involves the use of online questionnaires [BIOSTAT]. The survey was conducted to deepen the analysis of the flow of digital information regarding sustainable forest development in the relations between the PGLLP and the public. Participants in the survey included the General Directorate of the State Forests; the State Forests Information Center; Regional Directorates of the State Forests that have and operate social media channels; and selected subordinate units (forest districts) that agreed to participate in the survey as part of their activities for the social networks surveyed. The pilot survey included forty-five entities. The survey was illustrative and allowed for the adopted hypothesis of aware knowledge transfer in the field of sustainable forest development to be verified. It was not aimed at the quantitative evaluation of PGLLP’s activities; instead, it allowed the authors to assess the degree of awareness of the messages and to learn about opinions on the extent to which social media capabilities are being used to communicate the degree of rational management of forest resources. The respondents were asked about differentiating their communication activities across social media and identifying the main audiences on which their messages focus. The respondents were asked to determine the extent to which their audiences were active on social media across various possible activities that each channel offers. In addition, the pilot survey to evaluate forestry education allowed the authors to obtain a wider look due to various adaptations of global practices to the local conditions of the surveyed entities.

The data were verified in terms of GIS and represent the results of measuring the characteristics of the type and characteristics of the impact in the environment of the country and its properties. Data are presented by means of playback values for further processing and visualization. Information is supplemented by descriptive data, which are nonspatial data, but contain characteristics of data types and are related to them. The survey questionnaire was made available to all subjects via the State Forests Head Office to the Regional Directorates of State Forests and Forest Districts in the form of an e-mail message with an attached link to the online survey. Fully completed questionnaires were returned from all Regional Directorates of State Forests and selected Forest Districts. The collected sample showed that the collected results from the Forest Districts include representatives from all parts of Poland; hence the survey was defined as a pilot. This is shown in detail on Figure 1. Due to the nature of the survey, very complex descriptive, comparative analyses were not performed for individual regions, as this could distort the actual result. The focus was on the overall results.

In the results section, the authors will mainly refer to the analysis of Facebook and Instagram as part of their observations, the main conclusions of desk research on YouTube and the results of the survey.

3. Results

The results presenting the analysis of informative activities by the PGLLP on Facebook are significant in relation to social media (Figure 2). Posted informational materials on sustainable development in forestry receive a lot of attention from web users, who are eager to like, comment and share the published content.

The authors presented the scopes and forms of messages in three groups:

• “Wonders of nature in the lens”—communication using pearls of wisdom, poems, artistic photos, catchphrases posted along with graphics, contests, actions supporting various charitable causes.
• “Forest use and work of foresters”—information centered around the possibility of using forest land, protection of the forest; consequences of actions taken by people and by nature itself, including floods, fires and their consequences; messages about existing and new species of birds; information about forest land in the framework of active recreation, such as cycling routes; leisure and holiday stays in the forest; and information on training courses and community service performed by foresters.
• “Gifts of the forest and education”—regulations and advice on how to use the gifts of nature; information about individual species of plants, trees, animals posted together with a graphic or in the form of a short video; articles and publications that can be accessed via mobile phones or computers; being able to use advice on the species of plants and animals encountered; appeals to encourage the audience to share any information about species of interest, etc.

The second and third categories in particular contain content related to the rational use of forest resources. Within the analyzed period, 40% of the messages concerned the first category, 18% the second and 42% the third. This shows that PGLPL’s messages in the media pay a lot of attention to the issue of sustainable forest management. By analyzing interest in a given content, it is possible to indicate the attractiveness of messages posted on the analyzed social networking site and high interest among its users.

Comparative studies were performed between 1 and 21 January 2019 and 1 and 21 July 2020, which confirmed the continuing trends and showed increases in the analyzed social activities in the scope presented in Figure 3 and Figure 4.

As we can see in Figure 4, particular interest in forest management content was recorded in the morning and evening hours. In the afternoon, activity was somewhat lower; still, strong interest was observed in the content that particularly attracted attention. There is an increase in active users who, in addition to following the profile, share content as well as comment on posted materials. This channel attracts the interest of followers, and those who manage it will maintain the required regularity of publishing content.

Another tool within social media that is actively used for digital information sharing is Instagram. As specified in the methodological information, the channel is intended to encourage the audience to utilize the social function of forests, i.e., recreation. At the same time, it is a feedback tool in the form of information regarding satisfaction with following the profile. This indicates that Instagram also serves as the media channel that is adapted to promote the rational use of forest resources by presenting the biodiversity of nature and its resources. At the same time, it strengthens the awareness of the need to maintain and develop forest resources. Thanks to the introduction of the element of a forest knowledge “competition” to the research, the continuity of content was ensured and the engagement of the network community centered around Instagram was built. The profile is created by the people who follow the site’s profile, meaning that the consistency of published graphics of the forests and their resources is maintained. There is no specific time frame for the competition, and the assumption that the competition may lose interest due to the constancy of the form was not confirmed for this site. Profile followers actively developed communication about the analyzed graphic and descriptive content.

As far as other forms of communication are concerned, multimedia elements on the YouTube channel are of great importance, which, as shown by statistics (Figure 5), are especially popular.

The method used to integrate the results of the provision of information on sustainable development of forests for Instagram and YouTube demonstrates that the PGLLP builds network communication and manages social media profiles consciously.

As of 26 July 2018, the YouTube profile was subscribed by 9600 users. The posted content has at least 500,000 views, up by 15,000. The profile is integrated with the account on Google+. The material is divided into specific categories with topics related to sustainable forest management: video, photos, descriptions. In addition, the account is integrated with the “EchaLesneTV” channel, which has over 40,000 subscribers, within which we can find more than 100 documentaries that represent user feedback.

Quantitative analyses within the framework of the survey confirmed the extent of use of social media by the surveyed PGLLP entities. Due to the limited volume of this publication, an overview of some of the results and the main findings will be presented.

A group of 96% of the surveyed entities said that they own and maintain a Facebook account, where they post material daily (42.2%) or at least once a week (53.3%). Only two entities post material less frequently (Figure 6).

The next most used channels for communication with the online community include YouTube (30.8%) and Instagram (23.1%). Only major entities report having and actively using a Twitter or Google+ account (7.7%). As the authors pointed out, content related to sustainable forest development on YouTube is published less frequently, which was also declared by the surveyed entities—55% of them publish content less than once a month, and 27% at least once a month. The PGLLP, as well as individual forest districts (internal units), publish content at least once a week. In the case of Instagram, 50% of the units that are part of the PGLLP and use this tool declared publishing content at least once a month, while 37% posted once a week and 13% posted material daily, which also translates into the extent and intensity of use of this type of social channel observed by the authors.

In the subordinate units of the PGLLP (forest districts), the local community was indicated as the main audience for the message (84% of the respondents). This was largely dictated by the regionalization of the entities surveyed. In the case of the PGLLP, this is primarily the public and the local community. The media and journalists were also indicated.

Among the main alternatives, the results confirmed actions aimed at liking posts, commenting on posted content or following profiles. Uploading one’s own material, subscribing, writing messages or sending information about threats are much less common. The indicated responses made it possible to assess the awareness of the implemented activities as part of various social media channels used by PGLLP entities (Figure 7).

The main part of the survey was devoted to sustainable forest management and its rational use. The respondents were asked whether they engage in communication activities on social media regarding sustainable forest management. It was found that no such activities are undertaken for only one case of the surveyed “forest district” units.

As part of detailed information provided to the social media audience about sustainable forest management, the most commonly used methods of communication were identified. These include:

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Using simple language of communication;

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Using infographics and videos,

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Posts about the rational management of forest resources;

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Discussion within comments under posts;

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Posting photos showing economic, social and protective functions;

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Descriptions of economic tasks;

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Using storytelling to attract audience attention;

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Dividing posts into three groups: economy, education, environment;

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Shaping conscious consumer attitudes.

As part of the examples of issues posted on the websites, the following were mainly indicated:

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Wood as a renewable, environmentally friendly, irreplaceable material;

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Providing information about reduced logging, increased tree stand growth, increased biodiversity, species of legally protected animals and plants;

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Benefits resulting from the rational management of forest resources;

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Forest management or silviculture work related to timber harvesting, planting and nature conservation, etc.;

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Social functions of the forest as a place of recreation.

For detailed verification, the surveyed representatives of forest management entities in Poland provided data on the social media tools used, their forms and frequency of use, with a particular focus on communicating information on the rational use of forest resources. The respondents providing messages about sustainable forest management to the network community indicated which available social media channels and which form of message they use to convey this type of information. In 100% of confirmed cases, Facebook was the channel through which information about sustainable forest management was communicated. The next channels included YouTube (20.8%), Instagram (16.7%), Twitter (8.3%) and blogs (4.2%). In the case of the form used to provide information on the rational use of forests, both graphic and descriptive forms were used equally often (Figure 8).

When analyzing the frequency of posting informative content on the rational use of forest resources, the dominant group (25%) indicated that it was once a month, 16.7% once a week, and 4.2% at least once a day. Feedback from users to messages was assessed as occasional by 62.5% of the respondents and as active by 33.3% of the respondents. Only one entity indicated no feedback.

The study verified whether social media are an effective channel for educating the public about the rational use of forest resources. The survey results among PGLLP units (56%) confirmed the potential that social media have for providing public education. Forty percent of the units pointed to some limitations. For only 4% of units, social media were an ineffective channel of providing content about the rational use of forest resources.

4. Discussion

The presented results of the study confirm that the activities of the units responsible for forest management in Poland are conscious and focus on the tasks of communication in a broad sense within the framework of social media. The provision of information about rational forest management in all used social channels of the main PGLLP units is consistent in visual terms and within the form of messages used. In the case of regional units representing forest districts, an individualized graphic form of the applied logotype is often used. However, the published information comes with the main name and graphics to maintain image consistency [60].

Educational and informative messages referring to the rational use of forest resources [61,62] or verifying the consequences of their misuse are presented in various channels at the same time, allowing them to reach a wider group of social media users, and therefore increasing their audience [63]. By pursuing a well-thought-out communication policy, forest managers can improve the utilization of the potential of individual social media channels. Diverse information should be provided in terms of not only content, but also form. Each channel has its own individual potential, functionalities, content and forms, which make it possible to apply a differentiating element within the forms of content interest used to achieve increased environmental and social awareness [64].

The growing interest of forest management entities (PGLLP) in the use of social media leads to a faster exchange of opinions by sharing observations [64,65], obtaining legal knowledge, seeking explanations, treating these channels as a particularly valuable support in communication with the public and—as the present study shows—also in the implementation of sustainable forest management [61,62,63,64,65]. Analyzing the three research periods for the Facebook profile, there is an increase in activity. This indicates that there are regular followers of the profile, so that the content provided through this medium can have a significant impact. In 2018, 42% of the content was about the gifts of forests and education, presented through information about individual species of plants, trees or animals posted in graphic form or in short film forms, articles and publications, appeals encouraging the sharing of information, etc. Further proportions included presentations of natural wonders (40%) and forest use and work of foresters (18%), that is, the center of information around the possibilities of forest land use, forest protection, training, work performed by foresters. In 2019, the share of the indicated content was maintained. The next period showed a recurring increase in the presentation of information content on the state of the forest.

5. Conclusions

• If used consistently, profiling in social media channels provides an increase in the reception of information. Graphic and audiovisual forms play a decisive role in the level of interest in the sustainable development of forestry in the studied area of the country.
• Within a given social media channel, it is users who create or have a real impact on the informative content posted, building engagement in the processes of how rational forest management is perceived.
• The results of the study reveal that the use of social media in raising public awareness of the rational use of forest resources is the strongest growing form of social communication. It is important for the users of this form to make communication based on dialogue more attractive.
• The digitalization of communication between forest management entities and the public continues to evolve due to the development of digital technology and the preferences of the younger generation (the so-called Generation Y and Z).
• The requirements of sustainable development force the State Forests to take into account the social and environmental impact. This translates into an increase in expectations of positive social perception of the implemented forest policy.
• The main data set of social media messages of the State Forests is the verification of text flows on portals and blogs.