Research need from Focus Group: Examining the functioning of various existing regional forest ownership organisations. How do long‐established and well performing associations operate? Are there lessons to be learned?

This need for research has been identified in FG20 on “forest biomass”. If you want to know more about it, check the final report of the Focus Group.

The European forests belong to private, communal and state forest owners with quite different property sizes and goals with respect to the forest management. In many countries forest owners (specially the smaller ones) are enrolled in forest owner associations so as to get support for forest management, marketing, financial issues, etc.

Despite their potential, forest owners associations are not a current trend all over Europe and their ratio of impact is quite differerent within countries. Main reason is that these initiatives within forestry have often remained isolated.

Therefore, investigation under what conditions cooperation amongst forest owners works would help to strength forest management and forest mobilisation, but also inform the development of policies to better support small forest owners.