In countries where private forests predominate, it has been recognized that efforts must be made to manage private forests as efficiently and profitably as possible. In order to achieve this, cooperation of private forest owners in associations and long-term cooperation of private forest owners’ associations with stakeholders of forest-wood chain could be helpful. Currently, there are 23 private forest owners' associations active in Slovenia that connect private forest owners. We conducted interviews with representatives and members of these associations (n=26). We found that private forest owners' associations are active mainly in the field of education, providing information to members, and organizing various events. private forest owners' associations are less efficient in the area of joint timber sales, joint forestry works and long-term cooperation of private forest owners' associations with forest-wood chain. The main reasons recognized by respondents were connected with the lack of financial resources for professionalization of private forest owners' associations, small and fragmented forest properties, lack of time and expertise of board members, insufficient powers of the Slovenian Forests Service and conflicts of interest, lack of trust between members of the organization, and lack of trust in the stakeholders of forest-wood chain. The study showed that the potential for long-term cooperation of Private Forest owners' Associations with forest-wood chain stakeholders is good if the members of Private Forest owners' Associations will be better informed in the field of joint timber sales, joint forestry works and long-term cooperation of private forest owners' associations with forest-wood chain, financial support for professionalization is sufficient, a better supportive environment exists in the field of business cooperation with forest-wood chain stakeholders and possibilities for the creation of business entities.
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