Energy wood from forests - stakeholder perceptions in five European countries

ORIGINAL ARTICLE Open Access Ene gy wood om o es s—s akeholde pe cep ions in i e Eu opean coun ies Dö e Ma ie Pe e s 1* , K is ina Wi h 2 , B i a Böh 3 , F ancesca Fe an i 4 , Elena Gó iz-Mi sud 5 , Leena Kä kkäinen 6 , Janez K č 7 , Mikko Ku ila 6 , Vasja Leban 7 , Be i H Linds ad 8 ,Špela Pezde šek Malo h 7 , Till Pis o ius 9 , Regina Rhodius 1 , Bi ge Solbe g 8 and Lidija Zadnik S i n 7 Abs ac Backg ound: In he las decade, he demand o and supply o ene gy wood om o es s has inc eased, and expe s expec a u he inc ease in he u u e due o poli ical and socie al changes. The objec i e o his pape was o p o ide a quali a i e analysis o s akeholde s’pe cep ions o cu en and u u e ade-o s as well as o syne gies be ween ene gy wood p oduc ion and use and o he o es ecosys em se ices (ES). Me hods: We de eloped an explo a i e esea ch app oach and conduc ed semi-s uc u ed in e iews wi h a o al o 103 in e iewees o six selec ed s akeholde g oups in i e Eu opean coun ies: Finland, Ge many, No way, Slo enia and Spain. Fo he analysis, we adop ed a quali a i e con en analysis app oach. Resul s: The esul s o his empi ical s udy indica e ha , ac oss he i e coun ies, s akeholde s pe cei e simila ade-o s and syne gies. S akeholde s pe cei e a s ong syne gy wi h employmen whe eas ade-o s ega ding conse a ion o biodi e si y a e he mos c i ical issue ela ed o ene gy wood p oduc ion in o es s. Fu he mo e, s akeholde s con inue he classic deba e abou o es p o ec ion e sus o es use in he ene gy wood con ex . Conclusions: E ec s o ene gy wood p oduc ion and use need o be aken in o accoun in policy de elopmen and o es managemen in o de o add ess cu en and u u e ade-o s and o ap he ull po en ial o syne gies ela ed o o he o es ES. Di e en cha ac e is ics o coun ies and egions need o be conside ed, and decisions need o be os e ed by long- e m and a - eaching poli ical amewo ks. Keywo ds: Biodi e si y conse a ion; Bioene gy; Employmen ; Fo es ecosys em se ices; Fuelwood; Quali a i e in e iews; Syne gies; T ade-o s; Woody biomass Backg ound Fo es s ul il di e en unc ions and p o ide a a ie y o ecosys em se ices (ES) which a e ca ego ised in o p o- isioning se ices such as imbe supply, egula ing se ices such as hyd ological unc ions, suppo ing se - ices such as biodi e si y, and cul u al se ices such as ec ea ion [1, 2]. Pa icula ES o e socio-cul u al o economic bene i s such as heal h, employmen and in- come [3]. The demand o ES is dynamic and in luenced by socie al ans o ma ions, poli ical p e e ences and changing en i onmen al condi ions [1, 4]. In he las decade, he demand o ene gy wood in Eu ope inc eased and expe s expec a u he inc ease in u u e due o socio-poli ical changes [5, 6]. Table 1 p o ides an o e iew o na ional enewable ene gy a - ge s o he yea 2020, sha es o enewable ene gies in he yea 2005, and sha es o woody biomass in he coun- ies in es iga ed in his s udy in he yea 2011. Poli ical easons o p omo ing ene gy wood—in addi ion o i s enewable and s o able cha ac e is ics—a e an inc ease in secu i y and di e si y o ene gy supply, as well as ela- i ely low and less ola ile ene gy p ices compa ed o ossil ene gy sou ces [6, 7]. Ano he a gumen , bu one which emains he subjec o deba e, is ha global e - o s o mi iga e clima e change ely on o es s and hei inc easingly impo an ole as supplie s o biomass o secu ing a ca bon-neu al ene gy supply in he u u e [6, 8]. * Co espondence: [email p o ec ed]e 1 Chai o Fo es and En i onmen al Policy, Uni e si y o F eibu g, Tennenbache S . 4, F eibu g 79106, Ge many Full lis o au ho in o ma ion is a ailable a he end o he a icle © 2015 Pe e s e al.; licensee Sp inge . This is an Open Access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0), which pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly c edi ed. Pe e s e al. Ene gy, Sus ainabili y and Socie y (2015) 5:17 DOI 10.1186/s13705-015-0045-9 These poli ical objec i es a e suppo ed by a a ie y o policy ins umen s [6]. Simul aneously, o he de- mands on o es s a e also inc easing: o example, he emphasis on en i onmen al and na u e conse a ion aims which a e o en linked o adap a ion o clima e change, o ec ea ional use [4, 9]. Consequen ly, p omo ing he p o ision o one speci ic o es ecosys em se ice such as he p o ision o biomass o ene gy pu poses, can ha e no able e ec s on o he se ices and esul in unexpec ed ade-o s [10, 11]. Gi en ha os e ing ene gy wood p oduc ion may subs an ially a ec o he o es ES, he e is a need o sc u inise hese e ec s. T ade-o s can be de ined as “ he inc ease o he p o isioning o one ecosys em se ice and he simul aneous decline o ano he se ice a he same loca ion”[12]. Policies which do no ake in o accoun po en ial ade-o s, isk agg a a ing exis ing i al ies o se ices in speci ic a eas and exace - ba ing con lic s. Conce ns abou soil p o ec ion, nu ien supply, wa e quali y, ca bon neu ali y, biodi e si y and global sus ainabili y issues in pa icula a e equen ly discussed in li e a u e [7, 8, 13–17]. A he same ime, he e is po en ial o syne gies, which “allow o simul- aneous enhancemen o mo e han one ecosys em se ice”[12]. In li e a u e, syne gies include economic, ecological and social aspec s, e.g. conce ning biodi e - si y, i e p e en ion, p o i abili y o o es y and imbe p oduc ion, employmen and u al de elopmen [7, 8, 14, 15, 17, 18]. T ade-o s and syne gies emain di icul o p edic since hey a e in luenced by se e al dynamic ac o s, in- cluding clima e change, ime and spa ial scale, o es ypes and o he speci ic local condi ions [13, 19–22]. De- ba es abou speci ic policy measu es o adequa ely cope wi h he desc ibed ade-o s and syne gies a e ongoing [7, 8, 11, 14, 17, 21, 23]. A c ucial s ep ega ding policy design is o ake in o accoun s akeholde pe spec i es and p e e ences: S akeholde s play a ole in decision- making and implemen a ion p ocesses by a ibu ing di - e en weigh o pa icula aspec s, depending on hei in e es s and alues. In his con ex , se e al ecen s ud- ies concen a e on o es manage s’di e se a i udes o- wa ds ene gy wood p oduc ion [24–31]. Wi h ou s udy, we aim o gi e an o e iew o pe cep ions o a b oad ange o s akeholde s in di e en Eu opean coun ies e- ga ding ene gy wood p oduc ion and use because we conside ha he inco po a ion o di e se pe cep ions o di e en s akeholde s in policy de elopmen and o es managemen is c i ical o a balanced p oduc ion and use o ene gy wood om o es s [9, 11, 21, 32, 33]. In his ligh , ou objec i e is o p o ide a quali a i e analysis o he pe cep ions o s akeholde s om Finland, Ge many, No way, Slo enia and Spain on cu en and u u e ade-o s and syne gies be ween ene gy wood p oduc ion and use and o he ES. The pape is s uc- u ed as ollows: we i s ou line he me hodological ap- p oach and esea ch design used in he s udy. Subsequen ly, we p esen he empi ical esul s, which a e hen discussed in ligh o ele an indings om e- cen s udies. Conclusions inalise he pape . Me hods As he main objec i e o he pape was o analyse he pe cep ions o di e en s akeholde s, we used an ex- plo a o y app oach. Fo da a collec ion, we ollowed he quali a i e, p oblem-cen ed in e iew app oach o Wi - zel [34] (see also [35]). In his way, we aimed a de ec - ing he ele ance o speci ic issues and indi idual pe cep ions o he espec i e in e iewee [36]. We adop ed a semi-s uc u ed in e iew guideline including open ques ions, which main ains he ocus on he opic unde esea ch while allowing space o indi idual em- phasis [36]. A sha ed English guideline enabled compa i- son amongs in ol ed coun ies and a common unde s anding amongs pa ne s in ol ed. Also as a means o ensu ing consis ency in unde s anding, we de- ined ene gy wood as any kind o woody biomass om o es s ha is o can be used o ene gy pu poses. In e iews we e conduc ed wi h 103 ep esen a i es o six s akeholde g oups in i e Eu opean coun ies: Finland, Ge many, No way, Slo enia and Spain. These coun ies we e chosen as hey ha e di e en p econdi- ions and goals o ene gy wood p oduc ion and use, e.g. di e ging na ional policies, o es cha ac e is ics and cu en use o enewable ene gies [37, 38] (see also Table 1). The inclusion o di e se coun ies om No h- e n, Sou he n and Cen al Eu ope makes i possible o ob ain a high a iance in s akeholde pe cep ions abou ene gy wood p oduc ion and use in Eu ope. Fo he same eason, maximum a ia ion sampling was used and in e iewees wi h high he e ogenei y we e chosen. This pu posi e sampling me hod aims a maximising he di- e si y o pe cep ions wi h a a he small sample ep e- sen ing di e en in e es s. As an example, di e se socie al in e es s in ene gy wood a e ep esen ed in his s udy by ou ism and na u e conse a ion associa ions; Table 1 O e iew o enewable ene gy a ge s and sha e o woody biomass in enewable ene gies pe coun y Finland Ge many No way Slo enia Spain Renewable ene gy a ge 2020/sha e in 2005, % [50,78] 38/28.5 18/5.8 67.5/60.1 25/16.2 20/8.7 Sha e o woody biomass in enewable ene gies 2011, % [79] 79.5 37.7 6.9 43.8 - Pe e s e al. Ene gy, Sus ainabili y and Socie y (2015) 5:17 Page 2 o 12 o es owne s a e ep esen ed by o es owne s associa- ions, e c. Whe e possible, ep esen a i es wi h p o es- sional knowledge abou ene gy wood o o es s we e chosen. In e iewees we e ca ego ised in o s akeholde g oups acco ding o hei o ganisa ional o ins i u ional a ilia ion, as explained in Table 2. The numbe s o in e - iewees pe s akeholde g oup as well as he o al num- be o in e iewees o each coun y a y ac oss pa ne coun ies due o di e en inancial esou ces a ailable o he esea ch pa ne s and o he a ailabili y o con ac ed s akeholde s o ake pa in he s udy. In e iews we e conduc ed in na i e languages— ace o ace, by elephone o Skype—be ween No embe 2012 and Sep embe 2013, eco ded o la e analyses, and ully ansc ibed (and anon- ymised) in he espec i e language. Fo he analysis o he e ie ed in e iew ma e ial, we adop ed a quali a i e con en analysis app oach based on May ing [39] and used he so wa e MAXQDA (Ve bi GmbH). The i s s ep o analysis was he coding o he in e iew ansc ip s by which single wo ds, ph ases o pa ag aphs o he in e iews we e ca ego ised as he subjec o he esea ch ques ion (see, e.g. [40]). We de- i ed a se o p elimina y codes om li e a u e which was ag eed upon by all esea ch pa ne s. Addi ionally, he indi idual pa ne s deduced some addi ional codes du ing he coding p ocess (open-coding), e.g. o include coun y-speci ic issues (see, e.g. [40]). The ex sec ions assigned o each code we e u he analysed o each s akeholde g oup in each coun y. S akeholde s’pe cep- ions we e compiled in English summa ies ha included cha ac e is ic quo a ions. These summa ies se ed as he basis o he ollowing esul s, which a e no claimed o ha e uni e sal alidi y, bu a he o p o ide insigh s ha we e iden i ied consis en ly h oughou he s udy. Whe e s akeholde g oups a e indica ed, a leas one in e iewee om he espec i e g oup has a gued along he lines illus a ed. Resul s The ollowing esul s illus a e he ade-o s and syn- e gies be ween ene gy wood p oduc ion and use and p o isioning, egula ing and suppo ing and cul u al ES, ha s akeholde s in Finland, Ge many, No way, Slo enia and Spain discussed du ing he in e iews. Table 3 shows he a ibu ion o pa icula ade-o s and syne gies o di e en ES and summa ises he esul s based on [41–43]. T ade-o s and syne gies ela ing o p o isioning ES Rega ding in e ela ions be ween ene gy wood and p o- isioning ES, in e iewees iden i y oundwood p oduc- ion, he compe i ion be ween ma e ial and ene gy use, cascade use, he ma ke abili y o wood, employmen and u al de elopmen as being ele an . S akeholde s om mos o he in es iga ed coun ies pe cei e ade-o s and syne gies be ween ene gy wood p oduc ion and oundwood p oduc ion in e ms o o es managemen p ac ices. T ade-o s ega ding his issue ela e, o example, o a po en ial sho ening o o a ion pe iods due o ene gy wood p oduc ion, which s akeholde s pe cei e nega i ely in e ms o o es managemen (Finland, Ge many: conse a ion g oups). Damage caused by ene gy wood ha es ing is also seen as a p oblem (Finland: p ac i- ione g oup). Conse a ion s akeholde g oups highligh po en ial nega i e e ec s o an inc easing in ensi y o o es managemen in he u u e which— ela ed o ene gy wood—could os e changes in o es s uc u e, e.g. due o an inc eased collec ion o ha es ing esidues (Ge many, No way). They pa icula ly c i icise whole- ee use and plan a ions (Ge many). Addi ionally, o es managemen di ec ed solely owa ds ene gy wood p oduc ion is pe - cei ed as a bad al e na i e in compa ison o high quali y wood p oduc ion (Finland, Ge many, No way, Slo enia). As emphasised by se e al Slo enian in e iewees, his si u- a ion migh occu whe e high quali y wood p oduc ion is no p o i able, e.g. in small p ope ies wi hou economies o scale. These in e iewees a gued ha p o i abili y de e - mines he pu pose o which high quali y wood is sold: “I one has a well- o med oak o simila , bu ins ead he o she needs i ewood, hen i ewood will be made ou o ha oak. This occu s because i would be economically non- p o i able o sell one single oak”(Slo enia: science g oup). Syne gies be ween ene gy wood p oduc ion and ound- wood p oduc ion men ioned by s akeholde s pe ain, o ins ance, o he ene gy use o logging esidues as a by- p oduc o inal ellings wi hou nega i e e ec s on wood p oduc ion o o he ha es ing o ene gy wood om young s ands, which imp o es he g ow h o he emaining ees (Finland: p ac i ione g oup). In e iewees u he mo e men ion he highe me chan abili y o wood due o cu en and u u e ene gy wood p oduc ion and use, which acco d- ing o p ac i ione s esul s in mo e in ensi e o es ending Table 2 Numbe o in e iews pe s akeholde g oup and coun y Finland Ge many No way Slo enia Spain To al Conse a ion a 13 5 4 215 Economy b 313 24 224 Policy c 14 0 4 110 P ac i ione d 512 27 329 Science e 44 3 5 218 Social 21 2 2 07 To al 16 37 14 26 10 103 a Na u e conse a ion associa ions b Wood indus ies and associa ions, imbe use s, ene gy wood use s c Minis ies (including o es adminis a ion) d Fo es owne s associa ions, o es en e p ises, o es e s e Scien i ic ins i u ions, esea che s Tou ism en e p ises and associa ions Pe e s e al. Ene gy, Sus ainabili y and Socie y (2015) 5:17 Page 3 o 12 and be e o es hygiene and heal h (Ge many: p ac i ione g oup). Especially in a si ua ion wi h unused s ocks o wood (e.g. due o educed pape and pulp p oduc ion), s ake- holde s om p ac i ione and economy g oups highligh ha he economic iabili y o o es managemen plays an impo an ole in ensu ing o es use (No way): “In he cu en si ua ion, mo e esou ces can be ha es ed […]ha - es could be 50 % highe han cu en le els”(No way: economy g oup). Ano he example o a syne gy pe cei ed by s ake- holde s is ha ene gy wood p oduc ion gene ally enables o es managemen by co e ing he cos s o adi ionally loss-making o es y ac i i ies (Spain: economy, policy, p ac i ione g oups). In his espec , s akeholde s do no only obse e ha using wood o ene gy en ails “no mo e impac s han any o he o es y wo k”(Spain: p ac i ione g oup) bu also ha planning o o es y in- e en ions may minimise nega i e impac s on o es ES while inc easing he posi i e e ec s (Spain: economy g oup). In line wi h his, Slo enian in e iewees p omo e in eg a i e o es managemen as p ac ised in Slo enia, as i allows o a syne ge ic balance amongs di e en o es ES while minimising ade-o s: “The managemen o o es s in Slo enia is a esul o a long adi ion and o es managemen planning and i does no ha e a nega i e impac on o he unc ions”(Slo enia: conse a- ion g oup). In all in es iga ed coun ies, he esou ce compe i ion be ween ma e ial and ene gy wood use is also a key issue. Fo example, in e iewees e e o he compe i ion be ween ma e ial and ene gy use o small ees which hey expec o inc ease (Finland: p ac i ione g oup) o a po en ial compe i ion in which ma e ial and ene gy wood uses clash due o a “biomass bubble”(Spain: conse a ion g oup) o o an obse ed “ igh ”be ween ene gy and ma e ial wood indus ies which challenges he means o exis ence o he la e (Ge many: economy g oup). A p ac i ione a gues agains he p omo ion o ene gy wood as an al e na i e o pape and pulp p oduc- ion on he basis o he lowe p ices ha can be e ched o ene gy wood (No way). Howe e , in ligh o a pos- sible decline in pape and pulp p oduc ion, some s ake- holde s also pe cei e ene gy wood p oduc ion as an economic oppo uni y o balance losses (Finland: sci- ence, p ac i ione g oups, No way: p ac i ione g oup, Spain: economy g oup). Fo example, a shi o small- sized wood asso men s owa ds ene gy use migh ake place (Finland: p ac i ione , policy g oups). In Ge many, exis ing o u u e syne gies be ween ene gy wood and ma e ial uses o wood ha s akeholde s obse e a e no made explici . Ano he in e iewee conside s ha ene gy and ma e ial uses a e complemen a y a he han com- pe ing ma ke s: “Wha canno be sold o imbe is sold o biomass”(Spain: science g oup). In line wi h his unde s anding o ma e ial and ene gy uses o wood as complemen a y ma ke s, s akeholde s om all coun ies excep No way e e o he concep o cascade use. In e iewees ei he men ion cascade use wi hou e alua ing i (Finland) o exp ess a posi i e a i- ude owa ds i when wood is p e e ably used as ma e ial (Ge many, Slo enia): “I is no di ec ly a compe i ion bu a ques ion o how o do i , in which o de . The mo e Table 3 Pe cei ed ade-o s and syne gies be ween ene gy wood p oduc ion and use and o he ES Finland Ge many No way Slo enia Spain T ade-o s and syne gies ela ing o p o isioning ES Roundwood p oduc ion +/−+/−+/−+/−+/0 Compe i ion be ween ma e ial and ene gy use +/−+/−+/0 −+/− Cascade use a 0+/−n.a. + + Ma ke abili y o wood, employmen , u al de elopmen + + + + + T ade-o s and syne gies ela ing o egula ing ES Ca bon dioxide (CO 2 )- ixa ion/g eenhouse gas emissions/clima e change mi iga ion +/−+/−+/−+/−+/− Soil and hyd ology (wa e quan i y and quali y) +/−+/−-- +/− Fi e p e en ion n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. + Ai quali y −− − − − T ade-o s and syne gies ela ing o suppo ing ES Biodi e si y and na u e conse a ion −+/−− − +/− T ade-o s and syne gies ela ing o cul u al ES Rec ea ion +/−+/−+/−+/−+/− n.a. aspec s no men ioned, 0aspec men ioned (no alued as syne gy o ade-o ), +aspec s men ioned as syne gy, −aspec s men ioned as ade-o , +/- aspec s men ioned as ade-o and syne gy (men ioned: a leas by one in e iewee) a Acco ding o Habe l and Geissle [80], cascade use is “a s a egy o in eg a ed op imisa ion o ma e ial and ene gy uses o biomass”and “ he a ionale behind his s a egy is ha i biomass is used ha had been p e iously used o some o he pu pose, hen his biomass use will no con ibu e o an inc ease o NPP [ne p ima y p oduc ion] app op ia ion” Pe e s e al. Ene gy, Sus ainabili y and Socie y (2015) 5:17 Page 4 o 12 wood is b ough o usage, he mo e is a e wa ds he e o bu ning”(Ge many: economy g oup). S akeholde s suppo ene gy use o wood, “[…] bu always a he end o he wood alue chain […]. Tha means: i s we y o use i in some p oduc s and only hen, i we canno ecycle i anymo e, we use i o ene gy pu poses. We should ne e use wood om o es s di ec ly in s o es” (Slo enia: science g oup). Pa icula ly in Spain, s ake- holde s highligh he highe alue o o es p oduc s ha cascade use makes possible o achie e. Ano he syne ge ic e ec ega ding p o isioning ES is he inc easing ma ke abili y o o he wise unp o i able wood asso men s, which plays a ole in all coun ies excep Slo enia. This is e iden in he iews o s ake- holde s om p ac i ione g oups (Finland, Ge many) and economy g oups (No way, Spain) who conside ha ene gy wood is, o could po en ially become, a new sou ce o income o o es owne s. Acco ding o hem, his would ha e posi i e e ec s, as i p o ides ma ke oppo uni ies o o es p oduc s ha o he wise could and would no be mobilised. Howe e , Finnish in e - iewees also poin a he ac ha p ocu emen cos s o ene gy wood in Finland a e highe han he e enues, o ins ance due o long anspo a ion dis ances, low p ice o ene gy wood and ising oil p ices. Speci ic economic ideas exp essed by s akeholde s ela e o he possible subs i u ion o indus ial ound wood wi h bi ch (Be ula pubescens Eh h.) in ce ain a eas o ene gy use. Mo eo e , he ha es ing o bigge ees o ene gy wood would imp o e he p o i abili y o ene gy wood ha es - ing (Finland). Closely linked o he p eceding aspec , s akeholde s al eady pe cei e an inc ease in employmen o expec his o occu in u u e due o inc easing ene gy wood p oduc ion in all coun ies. Fo ins ance, Ge man (econ- omy, p ac i ione g oups), No wegian (p ac i ione , science g oups) and Spanish (economy, p ac i ione g oups) in e - iewees e e o an al eady exis ing syne gy, bu hey also expec his aspec o be ele an in he u u e. As an ex- ample, a No wegian in e iewee hin s a posi i e e ec s o ene gy wood p oduc ion in u al a eas:“The o es sec o is mo e impo an o na ional economic ac i i y, and o expo income, han mos people know. And a lo o he economic ac i i y akes place in u al a eas wi h ew al e na i es”(No way: p ac i ione g oup). In Spain, he alignmen be ween ene gy wood p oduc ion and employ- men is pa icula ly impo an and, whe e possible, os e ed: “A p ojec in which we collabo a e […] deals wi h public o es managemen […] in which we combine Medi e a- nean o es managemen wi h i e p e en ion, bioene gy use and u al de elopmen [unde s ood as] employmen ” (Spain: p ac i ione g oup). Some Finnish (p ac i ione , sci- ence, social g oups) and Slo enian (economy, p ac i ione g oups) in e iewees mainly e e o he u u e when speaking abou he employmen e ec . Fo ins ance, in e iewees pe cei e ha inc eased ene gy wood p o- duc ion will employ local esiden s and hence main- ain economic wel a e in u al a eas (Finland). Howe e , in e iewees also e e o hind ances o achie ing addi ional employmen associa ed wi h ene gy wood. They no e ha ene gy wood mobilisa ion does no wo k well enough, meaning ha he e a e no yea - ound du ies a ailable o all employees (Finland). Fu - he mo e, s akeholde s men ion he lack o p o essional wo k o ce (Finland) and he p oblem o ou sou cing o expo o ene gy wood p oduc ion:"I we look a how he o es s a e h ea ened in gene al: hey a e being ha - es ed and he wood is dona ed o o he coun ies […] how many wo kplaces migh we ha e a home ins ead?" (Slo enia: p ac i ione g oup). Some in e iewees di ec ly poin a employmen chal- lenges ha cons i u e a ade-o be ween he ma e ial and ene gy wood sec o s. Fo ins ance, s akeholde s in Ge many (economy g oup) and Slo enia (economy, p ac i ione g oups) p e e he poli ical suppo o ad- i ional wood indus ies a he han ene gy wood indus- ies. They a gue agains poli ical p omo ion o ene gy wood p oduc ion because hey p edic a decline in com- pe i i eness and a majo loss o indus ial b anches and jobs as " he ene gy sec o does no yield such a high added alue and employmen e ec compa ed o he ma e ial use o wood" (Ge many: economy g oup). In line wi h his, s akeholde s p e e he p omo ion o o he wood p ocessing indus ies wi h highe added alue o he p oduc ion chain and mo e employmen (Slo enia). By p omo ing wood p ocessing indus ies, ene gy wood supply is expec ed o imp o e: “The de elopmen o he wood p ocessing indus y will lead o he p ocessing o imbe a home, he e will be jobs […] and om hose indus ies we will ha e enough aw ma e ial o chips” (Slo enia: p ac i ione g oup). T ade-o s and syne gies ela ing o egula ing ES In e iewees iden i y clima e, soil and wa e egula ion, as well as wild i e p e en ion as ele an egula ing ES ha in e ac wi h ene gy wood p oduc ion and use. Wi hin all s udied coun ies, s akeholde s discuss ca - bon dioxide (CO2)- ixa ion by o es s, and consequen ly g eenhouse gas emissions and clima e change mi iga ion s emming om ene gy wood p oduc ion and use; pe - cep ions abou syne ge ic and con lic ing e ec s a y amongs s akeholde s. As an example, some in e iewees assume ha bu ning wood does no cause any ne emis- sions whe eas o he s assume i does (Finland). In addi ion, s akeholde s conside ha ene gy wood ha es ing om young s ands inc eases he CO 2 - ixa ion o he emaining ees because o hei enhanced g ow h (Finland). The same a ied opinions occu in Ge many and No way; howe e , a Pe e s e al. Ene gy, Sus ainabili y and Socie y (2015) 5:17 Page 5 o 12 sligh endency shows ha Ge man in e iewees mos ly see ade-o s wi h egula ing ES when wood is used as an ene gy sou ce (conse a ion, economy, policy g oups). Rep- esen a i es o all No wegian g oups poin o po en ial syn- e gies be ween ene gy wood and g eenhouse gas emissions, while one ep esen a i e o he science g oup s a es ha “ o ha es mo e om No wegian o es s [ o bioene gy] will no p o ide posi i e e ec s on he ca bon balance […]ina 100–200 yea s pe spec i e, he e is no clima e gain o in- c easing he ha es s”. A b oade app oach akes in o ac- coun he subs i u ion o ossil uels by ene gy wood wi h posi i e e ec s: “The e is po en ial o o es s o play a g ea ole, i managed o ca bon. Bioene gy can eplace ossil en- e gy, and h ough his educe he GHG emissions. So a leas in he longe un, biomass eplacing ossils will be posi i e”(No way: p ac i ione g oup). S akeholde s u he mo e add ess ade-o s be ween he use o ene gy wood and clima e change mi iga ion due o CO 2 emissions, especially in he con ex o households’ine icien use o ene gy wood: “So, wha is he consequence o ee ha es ing and bu ning? Des oying some hing ha con e s CO 2 in o oxygen and a he same ime pollu ing he ai wi h ca bon di- oxide"(Slo enia: economy g oup). Spain is he only coun y whe e s akeholde s gene ally conside o es biomass o ha e a neu al CO 2 balance and whe e pe cep- ions amongs g oups we e homogeneous. Howe e , s ake- holde s om conse a ion and science g oups exp ess a p e e ence o sho anspo chains o ensu e eal neu al CO 2 balance. Soil balance and nu ien supply a e u he mo e an issue in all coun ies excep Slo enia, and mainly ade- o s a e discussed in his espec . Possible nega i e e - ec s on soil nu ien balance men ioned in all coun ies a e, o ins ance, oo ed in an in ensi ied ex ac ion o wood ( esidues, c owns, s umps, whole ees) and ollowing nu ien losses (Ge many: all g oups excep social, econ- omy; No way: conse a ion, p ac i ione , science g oups). S akeholde s gene ally pe cei e s ump li ing o be in con lic wi h many en i onmen al conce ns (No way). Al- hough many Finnish s akeholde s emphasise he nega i e e ec s o ene gy wood ha es ing on soil nu ien balance, hey pe cei e ha he e ec s emain small because ene gy wood ha es ing om nu ien -poo si es is no aking place. In Spain, conce ns ega ding soil compac ion exis and some s akeholde s conside ha e osion o he g ound laye migh occu . Possible syne ge ic e ec s ha in e - iewees exp ess pe ain o soil e osion con ol (Ge many: economy g oup) and wood ash ecycling (Ge many: economy, science g oups). S akeholde s om di e en coun ies also highligh hyd ological issues. They discuss bo h posi i e and nega- i e impac s o ene gy wood p oduc ion on wa e sys ems (Finland: p ac i ione g oup). Po en ial posi i e e ec s o hinning ac i i ies o ene gy wood ela e o soil il a ion p ope ies and he ewi h o imp o ed wa e quali y (Spain: economy g oup). S akeholde s expec ene gy wood ha es - ing o ha e nega i e e ec s on wa e a ailabili y, especially in he case o bioene gy plan a ions (Spain). Gene ally, s akeholde s see he conside a ion o hyd ological issues as ex emely impo an , e.g. in e ms o d inking wa e supply (Slo enia: economy g oup). Fi e p e en ion is only an issue o Spanish in e - iewees, whe e a clea consensus exis s amongs he s akeholde s ega ding he syne gy be ween o es bio- mass ha es ing and i e p e en ion. Single s akeholde s add ess a possible shi owa ds lowe s abili y and ulne abili y o o es s o ex eme wea he e en s, because hey pe cei e ac ual o es manage- men o be a om op imal in e ms o cu ings unde - aken acco ding o o es managemen plans (Slo enia: science g oup). Addi ionally, he e a e conce ns abou nega i e e ec s o inc eased ene gy wood p oduc ion on o es s abili y (Slo enia: science g oup). In all coun ies, s akeholde s e e o ai quali y and isk o inc eased small pa icle emissions om old- ashioned wood s o es in p i a e households. T ade-o s and syne gies ela ing o suppo ing ES In e iewees in all coun ies and wi hin mos g oups ad- d ess ade-o s and syne gies ela ing o suppo ing ES. They iden i y biodi e si y and na u e conse a ion is- sues, which a e closely linked o poli ical egula ions. Some s akeholde s conside cu en legisla ion, ce i i- ca ion and concep s (e.g. sus ainable o es managemen ) ela ing o o es managemen as means o add essing ade-o s wi h biodi e si y (Ge many, Slo enia, Spain): “The p oduc ion o wood o ene gy is closely linked wi h he p inciples o sus ainable o es managemen p ac ices ha end o p ese e na u al ecosys ems” (Slo enia: p ac i ione g oup). O he s akeholde s pe - cei e poli ical egula ions o biodi e si y p o ec ion as being oo es ic i e (Spain: science g oup) o as dimin- ishing ene gy wood p oduc ion po en ial, e.g. in o es ese es o Na u a 2000 a eas (Finland, Ge many: p ac i- ione , economy g oups, Slo enia). “Fo es y in Ca alonia is highly egula ed and akes in o accoun all hese en i - onmen al issues […] i we u ilise we ha e o in eg a e many ac o s o p o ec ion, biodi e si y, e c. – hus, a he end you can p ac ically do no hing”(Spain: science g oup). These s akeholde s see no addi ional need o egula ions as long as exis ing amewo ks ega ding sus ainabili y and na u e conse a ion a e main ained (Ge many: p ac i ione g oup), and mo eo e hey op- pose land abandonmen (Ge many: p ac i ione , econ- omy, science g oups; Slo enia: economy g oup): "All o es s should be managed, also hose which play an im- po an ole o na u e conse a ion" (Slo enia: economy Pe e s e al. Ene gy, Sus ainabili y and Socie y (2015) 5:17 Page 6 o 12 g oup). Main aining o enla ging a eas o o es ese es could— om his poin o iew—lead o inc easing im- po o ene gy wood, which migh cause ade-o s wi h biodi e si y in supplying coun ies (Ge many: p ac i- ione g oup). In con as , o he s akeholde s seek addi ional egula- ion o de ini ion o s anda ds ega ding he impac s o ene gy wood ha es ing on biodi e si y (Finland, Ge many, Spain) in o de o p e en ade-o s. These in e iewees pe cei e ha inc easing ene gy wood p o- duc ion leads o an in ensi ica ion o o es managemen (e.g. ha es ing o small ees o educ ion o o a ion pe iod) and hus poses ade-o s wi h biodi e si y (Ge many: conse a ion g oup). Fu he mo e, hey con- side ha he in oduc ion o non-na i e ee species does no co ela e wi h na u e conse a ion aims, especially ega ding he main enance o open s ands (Ge many: policy g oup). These s akeholde s acco dingly demand es ic ions on ene gy wood p oduc ion, such as he de ini ion o sus ainabili y s anda ds (e.g. o solid biomass use on EU le el), co e ing e.g. p o ec ion o old and decaying ees o habi a s uc u es, ha es ing p o- hibi ions in he b eeding season, and exclusion o wood ha es ing in p ima y o es s o in o es s wi h high bio- di e si y alue (Ge many: conse a ion, policy g oups). S akeholde s gene ally exp ess he iew ha nega i e e ec s on biodi e si y migh occu (No way), i , e.g., ha es le els inc ease (No way: science g oup). Fu he - mo e, s akeholde s highligh he need o u he e- sea ch abou he impo ance o di e en asso men s (such as s umps and logging esidues) o biodi e si y on as ye unused o es a eas as well as abou app op ia e ha es ing in ensi ies (Finland, No way, Spain). Wi hin all coun ies, s akeholde s add ess he use o ha es ing esidues, dead wood and old-g ow h ees. Some s akeholde s a e opposed o ha es ing nu ien - ich esidues due o he nega i e e ec s o his on some species (Ge many: conse a ion g oup, Slo enia). They also highligh ade-o s be ween an inc easing ene gy wood p oduc ion and he p o ec ion o dead wood and old-g ow h ees which se e as impo an elemen s o habi a s uc u es (Ge many, Spain: conse a ion g oup). Since s umps a e impo an o coa se wood deb is and ela ed species, s akeholde s hold nega i e a i udes o- wa ds s ump ha es ing (No way: conse a ion, science g oups). Fu he mo e, s akeholde s claim o lea e some deadwood and espec i ely unde s o y in he o es : “No all he deadwood should be elimina ed. […] unde - s o y should be main ained acco ding o auna equi e- men s”(Spain: conse a ion g oup). In con as , i is a gued ha he impo ance o c owns and small-sized wood o habi a s uc u es has no been p o en h ough sound scien i ic e idence (Ge many: sci- ence g oup), and he applica ion o old and dead wood main enance s a egies is no expec ed o b ing ade- o s (Ge many: policy, science g oups). A Finnish p ac i- ione u he mo e poin s ou he impo ance o la ge ees o biodi e si y, which in any case do no exis in comme cial o es s and which will hus no be h ea - ened by ene gy wood p oduc ion. S akeholde s add ess no only ade-o s, bu also syn- e gies o ene gy wood p oduc ion wi h biodi e si y. Fo ins ance, hey e e o esidues om na u e conse a ion measu es, which a e a ailable o ene gy (Ge many). Likewise, some s akeholde s conside ha he emo al o ene gy wood om na u ally poo si es is consis en wi h he main enance o es o a ion o hei habi a quali y (e.g. junipe hea hland). Mo eo e , s akeholde s men ion he aim o p omo e his o ical o es manage- men such as coppice o coppice wi h s anda ds o en- e gy wood i na i e ee species a e used (Ge many). Spanish s akeholde s in pa icula e en pe cei e o es use in gene al as a ool o biodi e si y conse a ion, as long as his is managed sus ainably: “Wha we ha e a emp ed o p o e is ha wi h o es managemen , biodi e si y inc eases and o cou se he Na u a2000 ne - wo k is p o ec ed. This isn’ he case in Sweden o Ge many, bu he e we ha e wild i es”(Spain: p ac i- ione g oup). They e e o ex ended a eas whe e hin- nings o bioene gy would simul aneously ha e posi i e e ec s on biodi e si y: “Ve y o en […] biomass ex ac- ion implies a chance o s eng hen biodi e si y […] and a oid he abandonmen o millions o hec a es which a e nowadays wi hou use”(conse a ion g oup). T ade-o s and syne gies ela ing o cul u al ES Al hough cul u al ES comp ise much mo e han jus e- c ea ion, his was he only issue ha was aised by in e - iewees in his s udy. Rec ea ion is an impo an aspec in all in es iga ed coun ies in e ms o ade-o s and syne gies wi h cul u al ES. Howe e , s akeholde s’opin- ions di e ega ding e ec s o ene gy wood p oduc ion on ec ea ional o es ES. In gene al, many s akeholde s poin ou ha mos non-p o essionals do no dis inguish be ween adi ional o es managemen and ene gy wood p oduc ion in e ms o pe cei ed o es s and s uc u e and appea ance. Thema ically, s akeholde s ocus on ac- cess o o es s, on aes he ic alues o o es s, and on he collec ion o i ewood as a ec ea ional ac i i y i sel . In his con ex , s akeholde s emphasise he impo ance o ee access o o es s (Slo enia) and pe cei e syne gies be ween ene gy wood p oduc ion and ec ea ion. This is because he p oduc ion o ene gy wood makes i is eas- ie o walk in he o es o, e.g. pick be ies and mush- ooms (Finland), o because ene gy wood ha es ing gene ally imp o es access o he o es (No way, Spain). Wi h espec o aes he ic alues, s akeholde s a gue ha ene gy wood ha es ing has a posi i e e ec because Pe e s e al. Ene gy, Sus ainabili y and Socie y (2015) 5:17 Page 7 o 12 people like “ idy” o es s o ec ea ion (Ge many; Spain) o ha landscapes a e mo e a ac i e when ene gy wood is ha es ed (Finland). Ano he example o a syn- e gy pe cei ed by s akeholde s is he collec ion o i e- wood as a ec ea ional ac i i y (Finland, Ge many): “The e a e i e wood collec o s in many a eas who con- side his as a spo ing ac i i y; who li e ally enjoy p o- cessing hei own wood. O en imes [ hese belong o] e y in ellec ual social s a a, g adua es who see his as a spo ing challenge o hei Sa u day a e noon …and [who] possibly do no e lec on he economic [aspec ]” (Ge many: economy g oup). Acco ding o a s akeholde om he Finnish social g oup “i is heal hy o be he e in he o es , oh dea , i is heal hy o bus le. Bo h men- ally and physically”. In con as o hese syne ge ic e ec s, some s ake- holde s also see ade-o s be ween ene gy wood p oduc- ion and ec ea ion in e ms o access o o es s and aes he ic alues. As an example, some s akeholde s conside ha deep skidding acks and damage o he g ound laye caused by s ump ha es ing, as well as damage o emaining ees caused by o he ene gy wood ha es ing complica es walking in he o es and has a nega i e e ec on aes he ic alues (Finland). In addi ion, some in e iewees mo e gene ally pe cei e nega i e e- ac ions om ec ea ionis s in he sho - e m di ec ly a e ha es ing ac i i ies (Spain). In line wi h his, a s akeholde a gues ha “i is seen as a dis u bance ac o when la ge, long-las ing ha es s a e made, whe e maybe o me beau i ul o es pa hs, ha people we e used o, a e changed in o b oad mo o ways by ha es e s” (Ge many: social g oup). Ano he ade-o pe cei ed by s akeholde s is s ump ha es ing, which could nega i ely a ec ec ea ional alues (No way). Discussion I is impo an o discuss he limi a ions o he p esen s udy, in pa icula , i s quali a i e cha ac e and limi ed sample size. When using a limi ed sample size, he in lu- ence o he choice o pa icula ep esen a i es (e.g. min- is ies) on he esul s is no negligible, especially as some s akeholde g oups include only a ew pe sons. Ne e - heless, he objec i e o he s udy was no o be comp e- hensi e, bu o p o ide a quali a i e o e iew o mul iple s akeholde pe cep ions abou ene gy wood p oduc ion and use wi hou claiming o be gene alisable. Ano he limi a ion o he s udy is ha quali a i e s udies always lea e oom o in e p e a ion. This s udy add esses his limi a ion by using many unmodi ied quo a ions which make he in e p e a ion p ocess anspa en o he eade . In e ms o u he esea ch on he issue, hypo h- eses could be gene a ed om he esul s o his s udy and be es ed in a ep esen a i e s udy. Looking a di e ences be ween coun ies, Spain as a Sou he n Eu opean, Medi e anean coun y s ands ou wi h di e en aspec s discussed and mo e syne gies pe - cei ed by s akeholde s, whe eas aspec s discussed ac oss all o he —Cen al and No he n Eu opean—coun ies a e mo e simila and include a highe p opo ion o ade-o s. The isk o wild i es, which cha ac e ises Medi e anean o es s [44], explains he a he posi- i e a i ude o Spanish s akeholde s owa ds ene gy wood p oduc ion and use. The esul s show ha any o m o p o i able o es use—including ene gy wood p oduc ion—is welcomed by Spanish s akeholde s, as i makes p ope o es managemen economically i- able hus con ibu ing o he p e en ion o wild i es. Aside om he Spanish case, mo e di e si y in pe cep- ions o ade-o s and syne gies be ween ene gy wood p oduc ion and use and o he o es ES amongs he s udied coun ies migh ha e been expec ed. The coun ies in es iga ed ea u e di e en na ional p econdi ions, espe- cially ega ding o es co e age, managemen , use adi- ions, policies and popula ion densi y [25, 37, 45–48]. Fo ins ance, Finland has a long his o y o policies a ge ing bioene gy p oduc ion and use, and—in con as o he o he coun ies—i s Na ional Renewable Ene gy Ac ion Plan poin s o o es -based bioene gy as he main p o ide o enewable ene gy [49]. Howe e , he a ge s ega ding ene gy wood p oduc ion and use wi hin na ional policies and s a egies each ollow he EU 2020 goals on clima e and enewable ene gy [50]. Conce ning he di e en s akeholde s, he he e ogen- ei y o hei pe cep ions o ade-o s and syne gies e- la ed o he p oduc ion and use o ene gy wood wi hin and amongs g oups is on he one hand su p ising, e.g. ega ding clima e change issues o ec ea ion. Howe e , his he e ogenei y is also iden i ied by Hickey and Innes [51], who ound o es - ela ed s akeholde g oups o di - e in hei pe cep ions wi hin and be ween g oups. Add- i ionally, o es s akeholde s’pe cep ions a e especially in luenced by hei unde lying alues and s ong emo- ional bonds [26, 51–54]. As Buijs and Law ence [52] poin ed ou he handling o in o ma ion by s akeholde s is highly in luenced by hei emo ions. In ou s udy, he open in e iew me hod and he ac ha s akeholde s knew we would anonymise hei in e iews, allowed o an in ima e in e iew si ua ion. On he o he hand, di e ences ac oss s akeholde g oups appea , especially when i comes o issues which a e poli ically cha ged, such as he classic deba e be- ween in e es s o na u e conse a ion and o es y s akeholde s. On he basis o his p edominan example in ou s udy, ou esea ch makes clea ha pe cep ions o s akeholde s om conse a ion g oups (especially appa en in Ge many, bu also in o he coun ies) di e om hose o s akeholde s om p ac i ione and economy g oups, e.g. Pe e s e al. Ene gy, Sus ainabili y and Socie y (2015) 5:17 Page 8 o 12 ega ding land- eeze o conse a ion measu es o ha es - ing es ic ions in gene al. This is suppo ed by Winkel [55] who iden i ies ha conse a ion g oups (in Ge many) see a poli ical need o ac ion in o de o secu e he ecological di- mension o sus ainabili y in ligh o he sho comings o exis ing o es y ac i i ies, whe eas o es y g oups pe cei e (ecological) o es sus ainabili y as al eady being gi en and mos ly see dange s ela ed o he economic dimension o sus ainabili y. In ou s udy, he economic conside a ions ollow wo di ec ions: s akeholde s o economy and p ac i- ione g oups alue ene gy wood due o he highe ma ke - abili y o wood and eme ging employmen oppo uni ies. Howe e , hey also see economic h ea s (and oppo un- i ies) ela ed o he compe i ion be ween ma e ial and ene gy wood uses, and some di ec impac s based on he compe i ion o wood as well as es ic ions o conse a- ion measu es. Di e ences amongs s akeholde g oups a e u he mo e no es ic ed o di e ging opinions bu a e also appa en in ela ion o he speci ic issues on which hey mainly ocus. Rega ding he poli ical amewo k, ou indings indi- ca e ha s akeholde s ac oss coun ies do no expec policies a ge ing inc eased ene gy wood p oduc ion o esul in majo sil icul u al changes. Ra he , s akeholde s pe cei e ene gy wood as a by-p oduc o egula o es managemen and highligh he impo ance o compe ing o a he complemen a y ma e ial uses. As explained abo e, o es y s akeholde s—especially in Slo enia bu also in o he coun ies—exp ess con idence in exis ing sus ainable o es managemen s a egies and egula- ions, which hey expec o secu e all o es ES. The esul s u he mo e indica e ha s akeholde s pe cei e employmen as he main syne gy ega ding ene gy wood p oduc ion. This syne gy is a side-objec i e o enewable ene gy policies and—especially in u al a eas— emains an impo an aim o en o ced ene gy wood p oduc ion and use [10, 23, 50, 56]. Di e en s ud- ies suppo he assump ion ha ene gy wood p oduc ion and use can ha e a posi i e in luence on he de elop- men o u al economies and employmen [57–60]. The impo ance o apping he po en ial o his syne gy is emphasised in Spain whe e he ecen economic c isis had he mos se e e impac s on labou ma ke s com- pa ed o he o he coun ies [61], and whe e ene gy wood p oduc ion could hus be p omo ed o i s posi i e e ec on employmen and mo eo e o i s po en ial syne gies wi h i e p e en ion. Amongs he ade-o s be ween ene gy wood p oduc- ion and use and o he o es ES ha a e pe cei ed by s akeholde s, biodi e si y is he mos c i ical and domin- an one discussed. Biodi e si y conse a ion has been p ominen in poli ical and socie al discou ses o e ecen decades, bu was— ela ed o o es s—mainly es ic ed o he con ex o imbe p oduc ion [4, 10, 62–64]. Ve ke k e al. [63] and Fe an i [65] desc ibe he in e ela ionship be ween imbe p oduc ion and o es p o ec ion as a clas- sical dilemma, and his holds ue o he in e ela ionship be ween ene gy wood p oduc ion and o es p o ec ion, and—mo e gene ally speaking— o any kind o o es p o- duc ion. In line wi h his, Söde be g and Ecke be g [10] classi y biodi e si y p o ec ion as one o he ou main po- en ial con lic issues ela ed o di e en bioene gy policies a EU le el, e en hough some syne gies migh also be ealised. On he basis o ou in e iews, we ag ee ha an inc easing ene gy wood demand may inc ease exis ing con lic s be ween na u e conse a ion and o es p oduc ion. Recen s udies suppo ou indings ha some s ake- holde s om Finland, Ge many, and especially Slo enia pe cei e nega i e e ec s o es ic ions o biodi e si y conse a ion on he p oduc ion o ene gy wood. Ed- wa ds and Kleinschmi [4] iden i y ha many s ake- holde s and public ac o s ejec o es p o ec ion in i s basic o m. Cu en deba es, e.g. abou he designa ion o addi ional na ional pa ks in Ge many, migh in luence s akeholde s’pe cep ions abou conse a ion measu es. Ne e heless, possible ade-o s as discussed by s ake- holde s exis : o ins ance, Ve ke k e al. [63] an icipa e ha exis ing p o ec ion o o es s migh in luence he supply o wood i he demand o ma e ial o ene gy uses inc eases signi ican ly. The main conce ns ega ding biodi e si y ela e o he use o ha es ing esidues o ene gy wood and o he conse a ion o dead wood. While many s akeholde s highligh ha ene gy wood is and will be a by-p oduc o egula o es managemen , o he s doub ha exis ing egula ions p e en o e -use and emphasise he impo - ance o ha es ing esidues and dead wood o soil nu i- en s’balance and biodi e si y. Syne gies be ween ene gy wood p oduc ion and biodi e si y a e emphasised in Spain, whe e di e en ecological condi ions p e ail com- pa ed o he o he coun ies: Medi e anean o es s a e cha ac e ised by openness; he e o e, many species bene- i om wood ha es ing [66–69]. Howe e , an inc eas- ing ene gy wood p oduc ion in Spain needs o ake in o accoun ecommenda ions o p io i ising and spa io- empo al managemen o o es s in o de o achie e o e all bene i s o biodi e si y [66–69]. Whe eas s akeholde s in all coun ies ocus on di e - en p o isioning, egula ing and suppo ing ES, hey ha dly add ess cul u al ES, al hough in e iewe s expli- ci ly asked o ade-o s and syne gies be ween ene gy wood p oduc ion and ec ea ion. The in e iew esul s indica e ha s akeholde s do no conside cul u al ES o be a main issue. Ou in e p e a ion o his esul is ha hey hink ha lay people quickly adap o di e en o ms o o es p oduc ion. Howe e , lay people ha e a y- ing p e e ences ela ing o o es ypes and s uc u es o Pe e s e al. Ene gy, Sus ainabili y and Socie y (2015) 5:17 Page 9 o 12