This book discusses the reality of implementing sustainable forest management measures. Rather than simply offering theoretical descriptions, the book comprehensively details how sustainably managed forests can only be achieved through the cooperation and support of foresters, politicians, business leaders, local communities, consumers of forest-based goods and services, and the general public. The book also aims to raise public awareness of the factors involved in attaining the true sustainability of forest management, and the consequences of failing to do so, as well as the current issues facing sustainable forest management such as land ownership and land-use rights, political corruption, environmental stressors, and economic pressure. In 17 chapters, the book will appeal to academics and teachers in forestry and related areas, government practitioners, development agencies, and NGOs.

This collection reviews the wealth of research on tropical forest management. Parts 1 and 2 explore key challenges facing tropical forests as well as the ecosystem services they deliver. Parts 3 and 4 review the management structures and techniques required for sustainable forest management (SFM). Part 6 includes case studies of SFM of different tropical forest types.

Although global rates of deforestation have started to decrease, they remain alarmingly high in many tropical countries. In light of this challenge, the growing importance of sustainable forest management (SFM) has been highlighted as a means for improving sustainability across the sector. Achieving sustainable management of tropical forests summarises and reviews the rich body of research on tropical forests and how this research can be utilised to make sustainable management of tropical forests a standard implementable strategy for the future. The book features expert discussions on the economic, political and environmental contexts needed for SFM to operate successfully, including coverage of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With its distinguished editors and international array of expert authors, Achieving sustainable management of tropical forests will be a standard reference for researchers in tropical forest science, international and national organisations responsible for protection and responsible stewardship of tropical forests, as well as the commercial sector harvesting and using tropical forest products.

Forests deliver both economic benefits and a range of key ecosystem services. This collection reviews current research on optimising their use, from understanding tree physiology to improvements in planting, stand management, sustainable logging and product diversification.

Forests represent a remnant wilderness of high recreational value in the densely populated industrial societies, a threatened natural resource in some regions of the world and a renewable reservoir of essential raw materials for the wood processing industry. In June 1992 the United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro initiated a world-wide process of negotiation with the aim of ensuring sustainable management, conservation and development of forest resources. Although there seems to be unanimous support for sustainable development from all quarters, there is no generally accepted set of indicators which allows comparisons to be made between a given situation and a desirable one. In a recent summary paper prepared by the FAO Forestry and Planning Division, Ljungman et al. (1999) find that forest resources continue to diminish, while being called upon to produce a greater range of goods and services and that calls for sustainable forest management will simply go unheeded if the legal, policy and administrative environment do not effectively control undesirable practices. Does the concept of sustainable forest management represent not much more than a magic formula for achieving consensus, a vague idea which makes it difficult to match action to rhetoric? The concept of sustainable forest management is likely to remain an imprecise one, but we can contribute to avoiding management practices that are clearly unsustainable.

Neotropical forests sustain a wealth of biodiversity, provide a wide range of ecosystem services and products, and support the livelihoods of millions of people. But is forest management a viable conservation strategy in the tropics? Supporters of sustainable forest management have promoted it as a solution to problems of both biodiversity protection and economic stagnation. Detractors insist that any conservation strategy short of fully protected status is a waste of resources and that forest management actually hastens deforestation. By focusing on a set of critical issues and case studies, this book explores the territory between these positions, highlighting the major factors that contribute to or detract from the chances of achieving forest conservation through sustainable management.

Forests provide vital ecosystem services crucial to human well-being and sustainable development, and have an important role to play in achieving the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Little attention, however, has yet focused on how efforts to achieve the SDGs will impact forests and forest-related livelihoods, and how these impacts may, in turn, enhance or undermine the contributions of forests to climate and development. This book discusses the conditions that influence how SDGs are implemented and prioritised, and provides a systematic, multidisciplinary global assessment of interlinkages among the SDGs and their targets, increasing understanding of potential synergies and unavoidable trade-offs between goals. Ideal for academic researchers, students and decision-makers interested in sustainable development in the context of forests, this book will provide invaluable knowledge for efforts undertaken to reach the SDGs. This title is available as Open Access via Cambridge Core.

Forests will continue to disappear rapidly, the authors contend, until they are recognized as a valuable economic resource. This paper examines the causes of deforestation in Asia and suggests practical ways to achieve sustainable forest management. The report focuses on commercial logging, demand for firewood and fodder, and clearing forest land for farming. Economic policies and forest institutions have failed to protect natural forests. The authors point out technical problems that hinder forest management, such as improper tree harvesting. They describe conflicting goals among forest users and government investments that deplete forests. The authors argue that sustainable forest management calls for sound pricing policies and strong institutions to enforce them. They discuss benefit-sharing schemes that give local people incentives to protect forests and new ways to manage tree plantations to serve many different users. Detailed case studies look at effective forest management programs in Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines. The paper examines profitable opportunities for trade in environmental services. Such trade would involve industrial countries paying developing nations not to clear their natural forests. The protected forests would help reduce global carbon emissions and preserve biodiversity.

This collection reviews current research on balancing commercial use with the range of ecosystem services delivered by boreal and temperate forests. Chapters survey advances in understanding forest ecophysiology, including mechanisms of root and canopy development and the way forest tress react to abiotic stress. The book also discusses current understanding of the ecosystem services that forests deliver and how they can be balanced with activities such as logging. Building on this foundation, it then reviews advances in sustainable forest management techniques, including improvements in breeding, monitoring forest health, innovations in planting, stand management and regeneration as well as harvesting/felling. The book also reviews ways of managing, insect and fungal pests as well as natural hazards. The final section of the book assesses sustainable ways of developing and diversifying forest products, including novel uses of timber, biomass, non-timber products and recreational services.

The future of the world's forests is at the forefront of environmental debate. Rising concerns over the effects of deforestation and climate change are highlighting the need both to conserve and manage existing forests and woodland through sustainable forestry practices. The Forests Handbook, written by an international team of both scientists and practitioners, presents an integrated approach to forests and forestry, applying our present understanding of forest science to management practices, as a basis for achieving sustainability. Volume One presents an overview of the world's forests; their locations and what they are like, the science of how they operate as complex ecosystems and how they interact with their environment. Volume Two applies this science to reality; it focuses on forestry interventions and their impact, the principles governing how to protect forests and on how we can better harness the enormous benefits forests offer. Case studies are drawn from several different countries and are used to illustrate the key points. Development specialists, forest managers and those involved with land and land-use will find this handbook a valuable and comprehensive overview of forest science and forestry practice. Researchers and students of forestry, biology, ecology and geography will find it equally accessible and useful.