The Communal Land Associations in Community Forests of Budongo Sub-county are the first pilots in Uganda, and are still in the process of formation. Given that this is a new method for group tenure interests in resource management, the process should be dynamic and invite close analysis for improvement. This study specifically documents: 1) how tenure issues have been considered in the establishment of community forests; and how rights in land can constrain or support community involvement in community forest management; 2) how communities secure their tenure rights in community forests; how the resources are utilised such that user rights are both respected and protected; and 3) the roles played by different local stakeholders in creating the CLAs. Tenure issues were found to manifest themselves in unexpected ways as members of the community itself were not concerned about potential restrictions on themselves, as long as they could secure tenure to the forest.