In the discussion about sustainable development the concept of the social dimension of sustainability has received less attention than the ecological and the economic ones, but however, it is not less important. On the contrary, one may argue that in the present-day critical stage of the transition of the forest sector in Russian Karelia the issues of social sustainability require specific attention and research.
Social sustainability can be understood as the level and stability of welfare that forests and forest sector provide for the people and the communities. These issues can be discussed on several regional levels: in this context the most general level is the republic, the second level is region or district, and the third one is local community, which in this case means that empirical data collection is focusing on the village of Matrosy and near-by settlements.
The research of social sustainability at local level consists of the study of the local economy, living conditions, social safety networks, survival strategies, and the level of dependence of the population on forests, including the employment issues.
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