Forest land-use governance and change through Forest Owner Associations - Actors' roles and preferences in Bavaria

Various policies affect forest land-use governance today. The mobilization of wood for industrial and energy use is gaining importance in Europe. Local initiatives can lead to change in forest use and management. Actors can establish or join initiatives to achieve or prevent change. This paper identifies the actors, their role, preferences and perceptions, analyzing 21 private forest initiative networks (Forest Owner Associations) in Bavaria, South Germany. It applies the Actor-centred-Analytical Approach and uses social network analysis as well as semi-structured interviews as main methods. It also answers practitioners' questions, if and to what extent these initiatives do/can contribute to wood mobilization. Qualitative insights into the actors' perceptions of potential improvements or success of these initiatives are also given.