This study examines the relationship between environmental forest conflicts and changes in values, policies, markets and uses of forest resources in France and Sweden from 1984 to 1995. The study is part of a larger research project, in which forest conflicts will be compared between six countries (Germany, France, Sweden, Finland, Norway and USA). Forest conflicts in the same six countries from the 1950s to 1983 have already been described by Hellström and Reunala (1995) in earlier research. Together, these studies will form an entity describing forest conflicts that occurred during most of the latter half of this century. The material for this study is based on focused interviews of researchers, the media, authorities, and representatives of various interest groups related to forestry and environmental protection. 31 interviews were conducted in France and 29 in Sweden. The planning of the interviews was guided by a desk study of recent developments in the six countries, and a theoretical framework of forest conflicts in the interplay of values, policies and resources. Information received from the interviews was supplemented by collecting supportive written material.
