Translating forest ecosystem-service interactions into management action: a pathway-based framework illustrated in Czechia and Slovakia

Abstract Background Forest planning requires translation of ecosystem-service (ES) bundles, synergies and trade-offs into decision units, management specifications, alternatives and monitoring. This article develops a pathway-based integrative workflow through a targeted conceptual synthesis and differentiated Czech and Slovak illustrations. Results The framework distinguishes four non-exclusive and potentially interacting pathways—biophysical, management-mediated, experience-based and governance-conditioned—and links them to pathway-appropriate information, management outputs and monitoring requirements. A supplementary service-quality alignment map, heuristically adapted from the organisational gap logic of the SERVQUAL conceptual model, relates societal needs, management interpretation, service specifications, delivery potential, public experience and feedback. In the Czech quota-based CAPI survey (N = 1000), relaxation and mental well-being (53.7%), clean air and microclimate (39.7%) and water retention (33.2%) were selected most frequently, and 75.3% stated support for state compensation of forest owners providing public benefits. In the source-reported Poloniny environmental scenario (Slovakia), biodiversity potential improved on approximately 51.0% of the area and recreation potential on 15.6%. The Czech and Slovak materials are neither pooled nor treated as a comparative or validation dataset; they illustrate distinct interfaces at their native scales. Conclusions The six-step workflow connects problem definition and pathway diagnosis with information selection, management specifications, scenario appraisal, implementation, communication and adaptation. The alignment map is an organising heuristic for prospective evaluation while retaining pathway-specific scales and claim boundaries.