Making sense of variation: Discourses of diversified Forest Management in Swedish Forestry

The combination of standardised management practices, such as clear-cutting and planting, together with a strong forest industry, has contributed to the dominance of Norway spruce and Scots pine monocultures in Swedish forestry. Despite growing concerns in research and policy about their ecological and social implications, efforts to promote more diversified forest management have had limited impact. Drawing on interviews with forest professionals at different organizational levels, this study examines how variation is constructed, negotiated, and translated into practice through advisory services and forest management. The results show that variation is shaped through competing discourses within forestry organizations and sectoral logics, and is primarily constructed in relation to dominant production-oriented practices. It is understood through structural conditions, including ownership patterns and site characteristics, as well as forest owners' decision-making and engagement with professional advice. At the same time, variation is associated with both opportunity and risk. While linked to biodiversity, resilience, and climate adaptation, it is also framed in terms of epistemic and economic uncertainty, constraining its practical implementation. These tensions reflect an ongoing discursive struggle, where variation remains marginal within established operational logics. The findings suggest that variation functions as a floating signifier, whose meaning is only partially stabilized through its articulation with other valued concepts and its association with forest professionals. This openness enables variation to support diverse and potentially conflicting practices while reinforcing business-as-usual. Promoting diversified forest management therefore requires not only technical change, but also shifts in advisory/service practices, professional identities, risk perceptions, and institutional logics.