J. For. Sci., 2026, 72(5):256-268 | DOI: 10.17221/34/2026-JFS

Public communication in forestry: A focus on church property owners and entities in the Czech RepublicOriginal Paper

Kateřina Holušová ORCID...1,2, Jana Stachová ORCID...3, Eva Abramuszkinová Pavlíková ORCID...4, Pavel Fic ORCID...2, Otakar Holuša ORCID...2
1 Department of Forest and Wood Product Economics and Policy, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
2 Department of Environmental Science and Natural Resources, Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
3 Department of Local and Regional Studies, Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
4 Department of Engineering, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic

This study evaluates the approach to public communication within economic entities managing ecclesiastical forest properties. Following the extensive property restitutions in the Czech Republic after 2012, forests owned by the church and religious societies now account for more than 5% of the country's total forest area. The communication practices of these entities were assessed through a questionnaire survey of 221 respondents (comprising forest visitors as part of a general sample), nine in-depth interviews with employees, and, in addition, a detailed analysis of communication methods used by five selected forestry subjects. The results indicate that the general public does not expect a specialised communication approach despite the ecclesiastical nature of the property. Furthermore, foresters themselves do not perceive the need for a specific philosophy or approach based on church principles in their professional activities. No specialised communication strategies exist for church-owned forest properties, and employees are neither familiar with nor utilise Pope Francis's 2015 encyclical, Laudato si'.

Keywords: communication strategy; ecclesiastical forestry; Laudato si'; property restitution; public perception; stakeholders

Received: April 13, 2026; Revised: May 18, 2026; Accepted: May 18, 2026; Published: May 29, 2026  Show citation

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Holušová K, Stachová J, Abramuszkinová Pavlíková E, Fic P, Holuša O. Public communication in forestry: A focus on church property owners and entities in the Czech Republic. Journal of Forest Science. 2026;72(5):256-268. doi: 10.17221/34/2026-JFS.
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