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A permanent assessment of climate regime in forest sites has a key role in forest resource conservation and preservation of ecosystem services, biodiversity and landscape multi-functionality, informing sustainable forest management. In this view, time-series of meteorological data relative to several monitoring sites from the ICP-Forest network in Italy, were analyzed with the aim to define the number of site-specific observations, which can be considered adequate for further analysis on forest resource management. The relative importance of each factor accounted in our analysis (season, year, variable, plot, sampling proportion) was investigated comparing results through the use of descriptive statistics.

Forest cover change (FCC) varies globally and is thus considered as one of the drivers of climate change. The present study identified the pattern of the FCC for the years 2010 and 2020 using vegetation index and Markov chain techniques. The Markov chain (MC) was utilized to predict the forest cover map for the year 2030. The vegetation index of Landsat 7 Enhanced thematic mapper plus (ETM+) and Landsat 8 Operational land images (OLI) were employed to assess the forest cover loss for the years 2010 and 2020. The validation result shows that the accuracy of the predicted forest cover map is more than 75 percent (%). The prediction result shows that if the current human activities continue such as deforestation, the forest cover will continue to be endangered and thus leading to a decrease in dense forest, plantation, and sparse vegetation by 20.9%, 16.1%, and 20% respectively. Hence, there is an urgent need to integrate bottom-up and participatory approaches between agriculture activities and forestry for socioeconomic development. This study will ensure sustainable forest management by assisting society, government and stakeholders.

This article aimed to determine whether the use of the “Forest Data Bank” information system can allow for fast, and easy access to data necessary for forest management and how it can be used for f...

Conservation, restoration and management of forest resources are critical for addressing climate change. Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are a vehicle for targeted climate actions, including those related to forest management, by countries towards contributing global efforts agreed under the Paris Agreement. Operationalizing climate action stipulated in NDCs requires adequate preparedness and capacity, especially at the local level. This paper suggests a comprehensive framework of capacity building targeting at the community forestry level based on the findings of capacity needs assessments carried out in Nepal. The framework outlines a method to develop capacity among forest communities so they can carry out integrated assessments of the outcomes related to sustainable forest management, mitigation, adaptation and the quality of governance. Further, it outlines the capacity needed for integrated planning and implementation to consolidate the assessment process and make progress in an adaptive manner. By filling the capacity gaps at the community forestry level in a comprehensive manner, countries can narrow the existing divide between local-level climate actions and upper-level (national and international level) policy priorities, which is the major barrier for translating climate commitments into action.

In spite of the provisions of forest management prescriptions for forests in Ghana, forest degradation and deforestation are very high. This paper contributes to the discourse on sustainable forest management in Ghana by documenting the gaps in the implementation of forest management prescriptions and forest users’ compliance with forest regulations. We used desk study, field observations and measurements, interviews as well as focus group discussions to solicit for information from different stakeholder groups. The study showed major gaps between the application of official forest management prescriptions and their practical implementation, as well as lack of compliance of logging regulations. These gaps encouraged forest encroachment, illegal exploitation of wood and wood products and undermine the effective generation of forest management data for planning and forest management decision support. Furthermore, poor compliance to management regulations was noted to constitute a critical factor limiting the achievement of forest management objectives. Reasons assigned to these gaps reflect institutional weaknesses and the constraints of resource under which such institutions operate. Therefore, as Ghana implements forest management mechanisms such as the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+), attention should be focused on factors hindering the implementation of management prescriptions and compliance with forest regulations.

Private forest owners are the main forest ownership group within Europe, and important conservation values have been found on their land. Yet, small plot sizes, societal heterogeneity, and structural changes impede developing and implementing effective conservation programs in private forests. We present a systematic literature review focusing on small-scale private forest owners and their perspectives on nature conservation by synthesizing research approaches, social-ecological drivers, and policy recommendations. Conservation perspectives were positively related to female gender, higher levels of education, formalized forest management, an active relation to the forest, and ecological values of the property. In contrast, high age, rural orientation, economic forest management factors, large parcel size, and economic and sentimental property values negatively influenced conservation perspectives. Applying a natural resource conflict management framework, we synthesized recommendations covering three dimensions: substance, procedure, relationship. Considering perspectives of small-scale private forest owners in current forestry decision-making has great potential to strengthen sustainable forest management that integrates nature conservation and resource use.

The sustainability of management practices in forest ecosystems should provide ecosystem services and maintain the livelihoods that largely depend on the benefits directly derived from forests; but this goal requires various theoretical and analytical approaches. This research aims to develop a conceptual model for sustainable forest management based on the integration of three conceptual frameworks founded on the society–ecosystem interaction: socio-ecological systems, sustainable forest management, and ecosystem services. The results offer a methodological, analytical, organizational, and operational route to integrate a scientific model at the material, causal, and dynamic levels, considering theoretical and empirical information; it uses grounded theory methodology to select the interactions between variables and socio-ecological dynamics of forest ecosystems under community management. For example, it integrates social components (local knowledge, governance, and social organization) and ecological components (diversity and composition of plant species, carbon pools, and nutrient dynamics) to understand their interactions through management practices and the magnitude of the ecosystem services provided according to the local contexts. We illustrate this process by analyzing the influence of governance, decision-making, resource use, and management practices on forest management and ecosystem services; this exemplifies the factors, interactions, and effects on socio-ecological systems based on experience in forest communities. These integrated frameworks provide steps through which our understanding of specific socio-ecological approaches produces better outcomes for sustainable forest management, preserves ecosystems services and benefits livelihoods in Mexican temperate forests.

COVID-19 had an 80% impact on forest management operations. Community forests (53%) and nature parks (96%) were the most affected. The COVID-19 pandemic had a moderate to severe impact on forest conversion to agriculture land. The pandemic resulted in serious levels of illegal logging. From the forest production perspective, the impact of COVID-19 on production, supply, demand and price of timber was low. SUMMARY The objective of the study was to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sustainable forest management in southern Africa. The study employed a targeted approach, also referred to as purposive sampling, to select respondents from the various sectors. The results show that COVID-19 had an 80% impact on forest management operations. The COVID-19 pandemic did not have a significant effect on the conversion of land from forest to other land uses. However, there was severe illegal logging and moderate to severe fires. The COVID-19 pandemic also had a severe impact on the agriculture, environment and ecotourism sectors, with nature reserves completely closed. From the forest production perspective, the impact of COVID-19 on production, supply, demand and the price of timber was generally low due to the commercial nature of the forestry sector in South Africa; the largest economy in SADC being classified as an essential sector.

Sustainable forest management is essential to confront the detrimental impacts of diseases on forest ecosystems. This review highlights the potential of vegetation spectroscopy in improving the feasibility of assessing forest disturbances induced by diseases in a timely and cost-effective manner. The basic concepts of vegetation spectroscopy and its application in phytopathology are first outlined then the literature on the topic is discussed. Using several optical sensors from leaf to landscape-level, a number of forest diseases characterized by variable pathogenic processes have been detected, identified and quantified in many country sites worldwide. Overall, these reviewed studies have pointed out the green and red regions of the visible spectrum, the red-edge and the early near-infrared as the spectral regions most sensitive to the disease development as they are mostly related to chlorophyll changes and symptom development. Late disease conditions particularly affect the shortwave-infrared region, mostly related to water content. This review also highlights some major issues to be addressed such as the need to explore other major forest diseases and geographic areas, to further develop hyperspectral sensors for early detection and discrimination of forest disturbances, to improve devices for remote sensing, to implement long-term monitoring, and to advance algorithms for exploitation of spectral data. Achieving of these goals will enhance the capability of vegetation spectroscopy in early detection of forest stress and in managing forest diseases.

This study assessed role of extension forest officers in forest conservation in Cross River State, Nigeria. All the forest officers under the employment of the Cross River State Forestry Commission (CRSFC) formed the population of the study. Systematic sampling technique was employed to select 78 respondents for the study out of a population of 314 forest officers. Data were collected through validated structured interview schedule. Data were analyzed using percentage and mean scores. The major effective extension role of forest officers in forest conservation were creating awareness through environmental enlightenment campaign in forest communities ( x̄= 2.61) and dissemination of information in relation to public participation in forest conservation (x̄ = 2.61). The Major training needs of forest officers in forest conservation were sustainable forest management practices (x̄ = 3.39), forestry extension practices ( x̄= 3.32) and developing group participation. The most serious constraints to effective forestry extension service delivery were inadequate funding ( x̄= 2.97), and lack of vehicles for field staff logistics (x̄ = 2.80). ). Forestry extension service delivery in forest conservation was less effective, owing to a great number of constraints militating against the service delivery. For extension role of forest officers in forest conservation to be more effective in the state, there is need for extension unit to be created by the Cross River State Forestry Commission and specifically saddled with the responsibility of carrying out forestry extension functions along with the readiness of the state government to adequately coordinate and fund forestry extension services.

The article outlines the main strategic guidelines for sustainable spatial development of forest management at different hierarchical levels of forest management (global, national, regional and local), which are related to the formation of a sustainable forest management system on an ecosystem basis in accordance with international principles and agreements on sustainable forest development. Emphasis is placed on the formation of the system of international ecological management of forestry for the implementation of the ecosystem approach in the system of spatial forest management. The necessity of forming a fundamentally new state ecologically oriented forest policy of Ukraine, based on the reassessment of human views on the role of forests in the global environment, was stated. The basic requirements for ecologically oriented national forest policy in the field of rational use and reproduction and protection of forest resources are formed. The main ways of solving environmental problems in the system of sustainable forestry are also outlined. The main directions of long-term development of global forestry are determined. The main directions of long-term development of global forestry are determined. The main components of international regulation of relations between states in the field of compliance with environmental requirements in the field of forestry have been formed.

The development of technologies and equipment that meet modern requirements of forest preservation and a gentle mode of forest exploitation becomes a relevant issue within the framework of the implementation of the sustainable forest management principles both at forestry enterprises and in the organization of forestry. Such technologies include developed and field-tested experimental methods of logging using balloon-rope systems for various types and methods of felling. Of particular interest is the concept of using this equipment based on the purpose logging and the environmental and forestry requirements for their implementation. The paper has informative and cognitive nature; its purpose is to provide professionals with information on new technologies and designs of specialized equipment to ensure a gentle mode of forest management and forest exploitation. The article presents the results of theoretical research on possible directions of use of balloon-rope systems when working on forest sites of specially protected natural areas. The authors propose the designs of specialized equipment for the vertical removal of trees (whips) in the process of intermediate felling on the areas with signs of hard access and ecological dependence. Such mechanisms will significantly reduce energy costs when removing branches and limbs from a standing tree and its vertical removal from the plantation. The developed designs of specialized mechanisms for skidding a vertically standing tree without its landing in the form of a grabbing, grabbingcutting and knot-cutting device with a grabber ensure the maximum possible preservation of the forest environment, since they do not cause damage to the nearby stand, the undergrowth or the soil. For citation: Abuzov A.V., Ryabukhin P.B. Technologies of Intermediate Felling in Difficult to Access Areas. Lesnoy Zhurnal [Russian Forestry Journal], 2021, no. 4, pp. 117–130. DOI: 10.37482/0536-1036-2021-4-117-130

Monitoring and classifying disturbed forests can provide information support for not only sustainable forest management but also global carbon sequestration assessments. In this study, we propose a...

Forest-based ecotourism in global perspective is managed by various stakeholders while promoting sustainable forest management. This review article attempts to identify forest-based ecotourism dest...

The objective of this study was to examine existing knowledge on forest products development and to promote sustainable forest management in Ethiopia. Furthermore, the paper aimed to assess the development and status of Ethiopia's forest products industry in terms of resource base, manufacturing and marketing. It was found that the current annual fuelwood consumption is about 133M m3, with 90% of cooking energy obtained from woody biomass. Wood consumption for primary and secondary forest products manufacturing is expected to increase from the current 112M m3 to 158M m3 by 2033. This review reveals that the development and innovation of a sustainable forest products industry in Ethiopia should balance the production and ecological functions of forest resources. To meet Ethiopia's primary and secondary forest products needs, it is recommended that a clear policy framework be advanced and promoted, including wood technology, forest science and education, silviculture, and post-plantation management practices.

HIGHLIGHTSThe role of forests in climate change mitigation and adaptation is one of the most contested concepts in international climate policy.Climate and forest policies' targets are intrinsically connected in a way that the implementation of one can produce either a trade-off or synergy with the other.To strengthen synergies between forestry and climate policies, there is a need for the explicit recognition of mutually supportive links between both policies.To effectively integrate forest management discourses into climate policy, regulations and guidelines have to be grounded in the experiences and lessons of forest policy implementations.Legislation and law enforcement alone will be insufficient to preserve forest integrity if policies do not promote local ownership, participation and local sustainable development.SUMMARYIn South Africa, forests can play an important role in achieving the broader goals of climate change mitigation and adaptation. However, national policies on climate change mitigation and adaptation seem to narrow the potential contributions of the forest sector to climate protection targets. This is largely because of the divergence between the management goals of forests for climate protection, and products for both industries and livelihoods. This article uses discourse analysis as a methodological tool to analyze South Africa's climate and forest policies to identify the discourses shaping forest policy goals and mandates, and their integration into climate policy targets for forest-based climate change interventions. Four discourses, namely, preservation of forest integrity, social inclusiveness, equitable benefit sharing, and inclusive development of forests and forest-based communities, were identified as the dominant discourses influencing forest policy goals in South Africa. Their influence on forest management programmes has a mix of costs and benefits outcomes. For example, policy responses to the discourse on the preservation of forest integrity have resulted in ecologically sustainable forests in some cases and in other cases restricted the participation of local people in forest enterprise development. Additionally, climate policies recognized six possible interventions with respect to forest-based climate change mitigation and adaptation in South Africa but were silent about the four discourses shaping forest policy goals. Consequently, existing climate policies do not contain regulations to guide forest management for climate change mitigation and adaptation. We therefore recommend that forest-related goals in climate policy be grounded in the past experiences and lessons of forest policy implementations in order to take advantage of the synergies and reduce the trade-offs with respect to multipurpose management of forests for livelihoods, enterprise development, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Motivation/Background: Management directives form the basis on which management prescriptions are set. The directives range from the general ones at global level to the local site-specific level. The current paper presents management directives of a forest management plan for implementation of a pilot REDD+ project for Masito Community Forest Reserve, Kigoma, Tanzania for the period 2012-2017.Method: The work mainly involved review of relevant documents enriched by discussions with project management. The directives were also discussed at a forest management planning workshop that involved members from the community-based organization that managed the target forest.Results: The results are organized under sections for (1) global initiatives, policy statements and directives - focusing on the REDD+ strategy; (2) national initiatives, policy statements and directives. This focuses on national forest policy support for community based forest management and national REDD+ framework and strategy. (3) Management objectives and their management tools, which focus on statement of objectives, forest management zones and forest management unitsConclusions: The management directives formed the basis for the activities planned for the forest for 2012-2017. Also, the management directives should be used as baseline information for assessment of achievement of the planned activities.

This study set out to assess the dynamic characteristics of the Ikere forest reserve landscape between 1985 and 2017 using remote sensing data and spatial metrics. Landscape of the study area maintained complex patterns of spatial heterogeneity over the years. Forest cover loss to other land cover types results in new large non-forest area at increasing rate. As at the year 2017, the changes in land cover types were not yet at equilibrium, thus the need to determine the future forest cover extent using a three-way markov Chain model. The decrease in number of patches of forest land (NumP) with increase in its mean patch size (MPS) shows that the forest is becoming a single unit probably due to clearing of existing patches of forest trees. The decrease in class diversity and evenness (SDI and SEI) of the general landscape over the years strengthens this assertion. The findings of this study would be very helpful to government and other stakeholders responsible for ensuring sustainable forest and general environment. Keyword: Landscape, Spatial metrics, sustainable forest and Environment

In the world practice, legislative and scientific literature, the concept of «non-wood forest resources» is widely and comprehensively used. In this regard, the article clarifies the concept. The issues of the significance of these resources for society in obtaining various benefits, resource potential for regions involved in economic relations, in increasing the revenue base of the regional budget, and the need for its assessment are considered. The problems of assessing the resource potential of non-wood forest resources that arose at the level of legislative regulation of normative legal documents: the Forest Code of the Russian Federation and forest management documents are considered. Their imperfection and paradoxical situation of discrepancy between some provisions of normative documents are noted. The reasons that block sustainable forestry and forest management in solving the problem of conducting and obtaining an assessment of the resource potential of non-wood resources are identified. The necessity of further sustainable use of the forest resource potential of wild plants as a factor of life support of society, development of forest territories and effective forest management is substantiated. Proposals were made to address the problematic issues of assessing and obtaining statistical data on the resource potential of non-wood forest resources.

HIGHLIGHTSThe gap in achieving forest certification between developed and developing countries remains wide.Hinderances to certification in developing countries were examined from six dimensions.The success or failure of wood producers to adopt certification is a joint result of their interactions with the political, social, economic, cultural, and psychological contexts.Conventional institutions and governance have profound implications for the promotion of forest certification on a global scale.Efficient solutions to these hindrances are often multi-dimensional and require coordination among certification bodies, government agencies, NGOs, producers, and consumers to create a favorable context for certification uptake.SUMMARYForest certification has been widely hailed for its positive impacts on implementing sustainable forest management. Despite various adjustments to promote its adoption, most of the world's certified forests are in developed countries, with about 87% in Europe and North America. To analyse the reasons for the slow certification uptake in the developing world, two rounds of literature searches were conducted, and the hindrances identified were then discussed under six themes: forest quality, socioeconomic interactions, governance capacity, certification investment, firm expectations and market responses, and risk aversion and the attitude-behaviour gap. Among them, conventional institutions and governance are the most restrictive constraints. Certification, while a non-state form of governance, may not exercise its regulatory power freely through the market without being impeded by the unfavourable contexts in which it takes hold. Finally, recommendations were proposed from the perspectives of politics, legislation, market, and certification schemes to resolve the hindrances in achieving certification.

Growing demand for white oak (Quercus alba) timber and difficulties in regenerating this species point toward future supply issues. Implementing forest policy and management interventions to support its long-term supply will be necessary particularly in Kentucky, where bourbon industry relies solely on casks made from white oak. To increase the probability that these actions will be successful, it is advisable to consider perceptions of stakeholders who are most likely to be involved with and impacted by those decisions. The combined Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat and Analytic Hierarchy Process technique used in this study facilitated independent capturing and ranking of perceptions from three key stakeholder groups (members of woodland owners, forest industry, and distillers industry associations) regarding long-term supply of white oak. The results of this study suggest implementing forest policy and management decisions that have the most support among stakeholders to ensure long-term sustainable supply of white oak are: (1) encourage and incentivize sustainable forest management, and (2) address poor harvesting practices.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) forest certification was introduced in Nepal with an assumption that it improves forests and ecosystem services while addressing the drivers of forest degradation. As of today, 89 community forests (CF) have been FSC certified, however empirical evidence on the contribution of forest certification on carbon stock and species richness is lacking. This research, thus tries to answer the question “do certified community forests (CCF) maintain higher carbon stock and species richness compared to non-certified community forests (NCF)?” The study collected field level data during February–May 2013 from 88 experimental plots. The study found higher carbon stock (p

A growing set of researchers and policy makers argue, somewhat counterintuitively, that regulated timber extraction can help conserve forests in developing countries by discouraging illegal...

The former “Direzione generale foreste”, established in 2017 under the scope of theMinistry of Agricultural, food and forestry policies is about to become “Direzione generaleeconomia montana e foreste”. With this transformation, new important duties dedicated to themountain ecosystem are about to unfold. As this moment comes, we take the opportunity tolook back at the activities of the Direzione generale foreste, how these developed and the firstresults achieved. Most importantly, though, we address those results that are lying ahead of usand still need our best efforts. Those goals need to be analysed bearing in mind the focal pointsemerged in the report of the IV Italian National Congress of Silviculture (Turin, November2018). The new National Forestry Strategy along with other initiatives will be a turning point forthis sector. Sustainable forest management and careful planning will ensure higher biodiversityin our forests, contribute to the national natural capital along with the economic developmentof mountain and rural areas, where there is the majority of Italian forests.

The eastern and southern regions of Cameroon, lower middle income country, need to increase their level of land use by the agricultural, forestry and mining sectors in order to develop. At the same time, Cameroon is committed to managing its forests sustainably to meet the needs of present and future generations. This study assesses the compatibility of agricultural, forestry and mining policies with sustainable forest management in the East and South forest regions. Five analytical criteria were used and the analysis was carried out through surveys of key informants in the private sector, public administrations and civil society. The study showed that from 2013 to 2018, the contributions of the agricultural, forestry and mining sectors to GDP grew by about 74%, 65% and 60%, respectively. Agricultural, forestry and mining policies have an average compatibility rate of 45% with sustainable forest management, of which 52% for the forestry sector, 43% for the agricultural sector and 40% for the mining sector. Nonetheless, there are 21 causes of incompatibility, including 1) the non-involvement of all relevant public administrations in policy-making, 2) the low efficiency of the control system of exploitation activities, and 3) the poor coordination of actions in the three sectors. It was proposed to a) improve the legal and regulatory framework of the three sectors of activity and b) develop land-use planning tools among other measures to align existing policies with sustainable forest management.

Рассматриваются перспективы будущего экономики и возможность ее развития по национальным проектам. Акцентировано внимание на важности устойчивого развития территории и защиты окружающей среды. Трендом выступают «зеленая экономика», а далее «зеленая энергетика», «зеленые технологии». При этом целью менеджмента организации является поиск приоритетных направлений развития с позиции устойчивости. Результат базируется на повышении конкурентоспособности и инновационной активности. Выделено 6 макроиндикаторов с соответствующими микроиндикаторами в качестве критериев устойчивого управления лесами. Устойчивое управление лесными экосистемами предполагает длительное сохранение лесов. Выделены такие направления финансирования инновационной деятельности, как прямое и косвенное. Представлены направления стабильного устойчивого экономического развития, среди них наиболее значимым является вовлечение в хозяйственный оборот результатов научных исследований и прикладных разработок, интеллектуальной собственности. Предложен метод построения интегрального индекса устойчивого развития лесного потенциала с использованием группы индикаторов. Отдельные индикаторы интерпретируются как смешанные эколого-экономические, эколого-социально-экономические, социально-экологические. Важным является формирование и оценка построения агрегированного индикатора. Акцентировано внимание на использовании результатов инноваций, конкурентоспособных на внутреннем и мировых рынках лесных товаров. В основе методов управления инновационной деятельностью предложено создание территориально-производственных лесных кластеров с учетом рационального использования природно-ресурсной базы лесного хозяйства. The article discusses the prospects for the future of the economy and the possibility of its development under national projects. Attention is focused on the importance of sustainable development of the territory and environmental protection. The trend is the «green economy». And then «Green energy», «Green technologies». At the same time, the goal of the organization’s management is to search for priority areas of development from the point of view of sustainability. The result is based on increasing competitiveness and innovation activity. There are 6 macro indicators with corresponding micro indicators as criteria for sustainable forest management. Sustainable management of forest ecosystems requires long-term conservation of forests. Such areas of innovation financing as direct and indirect are highlighted. The directions of stable sustainable economic development are presented, among the most significant are the involvement in economic turnover of the results of scientific research and applied developments, intellectual property. A method for constructing an integral index of sustainable development of forest potential using a group of indicators is proposed. Individual. Indicators are interpreted as mixed ecological-economic, ecological-socio-economic, socio-ecological. It is important to focus on the construction of an aggregated indicator. Attention is focused on the use of the results of innovations that are competitive in the domestic and world markets of forest products. The methods of innovation management are based on the creation of territorial-industrial forest clusters, taking into account the rational use of the natural resource base of forestry.

Local wisdom has been coexisting with the state system in several places in Indonesia. The Mountain Mutis Nature Reserve in East Nusa Tenggara province is the strict nature reserves, but a customary land tenure system, called suf, exists so far in the nature reserve. The objectives of this study are (1) to organize the historical territorialization process, (2) to clarify the customary land tenure system and activities for livelihoods by local people, and (3) to discuss the challenges of its land tenure system to manage forests sustainably as well as policy methods to harmonize legal pluralism in Mutis Area. Field observation and in-depth interviews with key informants were employed for data collection, and the collected data were analyzed by a qualitative descriptive method. The findings showed the traditional reward and punishment systems regarding extracting non-timber forest products, grazing livestock, and preventing forest fires were working well for sustainable forest management. However, increased pressure on forests due to future population growth appears to have an impact on the traditional system. It also showed the government officers and local people started some discussions to recognize the suf in the formal legal order. However, there were institutional problems to introduce current state systems. Therefore, it is required to flexibly operate or revise the state laws according to the actual situation to harmonize society between state and people.

Forests are under increasing pressure with increasing risk of conflicts between stakeholder groups with different interests in sustainable forest management (SFM). This study investigated the different dimensions of conflict as perceived by private forest owners and other stakeholders, and the likely impact of these pressures on SFM in a southern Swedish context. Data were collected through a mixed methods approach using qualitative in-depth individual semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and a quantitative survey (n = 6–161), with questions on present and past conflicts, actors, drivers, acting, management and solutions. Stakeholders felt that in the past the conflicts were more about technical dimensions of forestry practice, and today more about the political and cultural dimensions of forestry issues. The most frequently mentioned reason for forest conflict was forest protection, especially woodland key habitats. In all conflicts, forest owners emphasised the importance of knowledge, responsibility and emotions. Other stakeholders did too, but with emotions less emphasised. In managing conflict, meetings, adaptation and education were stressed by stakeholders. Dialogue arenas on different levels are needed for all stakeholders. Governing bodies also need to realise the implication different approaches and strategies have on forest owners management.

The objective of this study was to evaluate four airborne laser scanning derived indicators for monitoring tropical forest stands at different stages of sustainable management practices. The tradit...

Social forestry is sustainable forest management system implemented by local communities of Forest Farmer Group (FFG) aiming to increase community welfare, environmental balance and social cultural dynamics. Environment and Forestry Training Center Kadipaten conducted training to support social forestry programs with on-site model and was held August‒October 2018 in West Java and Central Java. The post-training evaluation was conducted one year after the training finished from June‒August 2019. The post-training evaluation aims to assess the suitability of the training materials with the needs of the farming business and the benefits of the training on the farming business developed by KTH. Data collection is done through questionnaires and interviews. The data analysis used descriptive analysis. The evaluation results on several training, i.e measurement and participatory mapping of social forestry areas, agroforestry engineering, oyster mushroom cultivation, making, packaging and marketing of bokashi, and nature tour guide showed that aspects of the relevance of the training to the needs of farming businesses are in the medium to high categories. The benefits of training to the farming businesses are in the medium and high category. To improve the quality of the training process and results, it is necessary to conduct a more careful analysis of training needs so that the training program is in line with the needs of the target community.

The paper is focused on the problem of developing a strategy for sustainable forest management and the forest sector of the economy of the territories. The aim is to improve approaches to its creation based on an ecosystem approach to generating real economic incomes from forest products and forest services and improving the environment. For this, the conceptual framework of the study based on the ecosystem approach is substantiated, considering the relationship between ecosystem services of the forest and various forms of their contribution to the economic development of territories, taking into account the forest and non-forest sectors of the economy. To determine the ecosystem services of the forest, the methods of direct counting, compara-tive analysis, assessment of “willingness to pay”, assessment of the carbon budget, etc. were used. The study of the economic value of the ecosystem services of the forest of transboundary territories showed the differences between the direct and indi-rect contribution of forests to the economy of the regions, which are determined by climatic features, the state of the forest fund, the degree of forestry activities, applied methods of forest management and forest use. The study made it possible to devel-op strategic directions for sustainable management of forest ecosystem services in transboundary terri-tories and to draw a conclusion about the need to move from a conservation type of forest manage-ment to the principles of sustainable development based on the preservation and enhancement of the economic, social and ecological value of forests.

Forests have been undergoing diverse threats due to human activities and these may affect their role as Ecosystem Services (ES) providers. Therefore, it becomes crucial to undertake some analysis of the current socio-economic context of ES offerings to provide valuable information for the decision-making process and policy regarding sustainable forest management. This study aimed at highlighting the local perception of ES in two contrasting ecological regions. 689 respondents distributed in six districts were interviewed through a semi-structured survey on the various ES and their assessment. The analysis in principal components is used to understand socio-cultural group perception. Then, we used Beta regression to know how socio-economic factors influence the rate of people knowledge of ES. Our results show that provisioning services were more overall perceived, followed by cultural services and regulating services. Youth perceived less regulating and supporting services. Furthermore, cultural services were the most perceived by the seniors. The perception of provisioning and regulating services is influenced respectively by education level and the poverty index. Taking into account the local perception of the different actors and the factors in the decision-making, local development can be improved in compliance with the objectives of biodiversity conservation.Keywords: Local perceptions, Ecosystem Services, environmental education, forest management, Benin Republic.

Introduction: Bibliometric analysis is a quantitative tool for recognizing trends and research gaps in topics of scientific interest. Objective: To identify progress in scientific production, collaborative networks, research issues and application of models of temperate forest management (MTFM), on a global scale, in relation to management, productivity, carbon storage and nutrient cycling. Materials and methods: The review focused on the collection of data from the Web of Science Core Collection platform in the period 2005-2019. Results and discussion: The bibliometric analysis made possible to collect 960 specialized scientific articles on the topic, from journals indexed in Journal Citation Reports (JCR). The institutions with the greatest academic authority in forest management studies were Natural Resources of Canada (NRCan), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) and US Forest Service. MTFM topics focused on forest plantation growth, effects of forest practices on structure, productivity, carbon sequestration and, to a lesser extent, nutrient availability. Mexico showed low collaboration with other institutions and a forest approach in the application of models. Conclusions: The analysis helped to guide research on MTFM in Mexico. The implementation of models is recommended to achieve forest harvesting based on an integrated understanding of the system and thus provide sustainability.

In Japan, abandonment of forest management and underuse of forest resources are substantial challenges to environmental protection and sustainable wood production, while in many other countries, leaving a forest untouched may be perceived as positive for conserving the forest. This study thus analyses the scientific knowledge landscape on the causes and consequences of reduced human intervention in formerly managed forests and compares differences between Japan and other countries. Advanced search rules in the bibliographic databases returned 188 publications [35 for Japan and 153 for other countries] related to reduced human intervention in formerly managed forests. Reduced human intervention in formerly managed forests occurred in developed countries in the mid-twentieth century because of socio-economic changes and was primarily directed by small-scale private landowners, causing structural homogenisation, stand ageing, and canopy closure, often followed by the consequences of decreasing biodiversity and ecosystem services in Japan and other countries. In Japan, heavy dependency on wood imports at the expense of biodiversity and ecosystem services and the impending need for harvesting abundant mature forests due to the unbalanced tree age distribution possibly enhanced the recognition and urgency of underuse as a threat to biodiversity and wood security, while in other countries, multiple management objectives of diverse landowners probably dispersed the recognition of underuse. Although less recognised in other countries, the absence of forest management can pose a risk to biodiversity and ecosystem services. Hence, reactivating forest management in underused private forests can be a cost-effective precautionary approach against possible damage from underuse-induced ecosystem disservices. Policy implications for sustainable forest management in underused private forests are discussed from a perspective beyond conventional private ownership.

O Desenvolvimento sustentável na Amazônica envolve o controle e monitoramento da exploração dos recursos florestais e o plano de manejo florestal sustentável é considerado um dos principais instrumentos da política de proteção ambiental para o setor. Este artigo identifica os obstáculos para aprovação do plano de manejo florestal sustentável (PMFS) na Amazônia, e analisa de que forma os obstáculos comprometem o objetivo de desenvolvimento socioambiental. A metodologia adotada foi a revisão da bibliografia e o levantamento de dados, tendo como objetivo contribuir para a identificação dos entraves para elaboração e execução do plano de manejo florestal na Floresta Amazônica.

Community appropriation of forest resources in the Sierra Juarez of Oaxaca was the result of disputes and various conflicts of interest. This paper describes the process of agrarian communities in the appropriation of forest resource management. The analysis model was based on the following inflection points: the granting of forest concessions, their abrogation driven by the community movement, and local management of forest resources. The proposed analytical models identified the following concepts: utilitarian, conservationist, multiple-use forestry and sustainable forest management, through the application of forest policy.

The phenomenon of sustainable forest management failure in Indonesia faces the reality of incompatible economic, social, and environmental approaches. Conventional forest management always assumes that good forests are only managed by the government through concession permit policies to large capital owners that are top-down and accompanied by a minimum condition of community involvement, which should be a key factor. Learning from the experience, Indonesia began to see the concept of social forestry as one of the efforts in the progress of a more sustainable development. Social forestry positions that the party that feels the greatest success or failure from forest management is the community around the forest itself. Communities must obtain the greatest access and incentives to manage forestry businesses as a source of life while preventing damage. In recent years, the agrarian reform program through social forestry is a breakthrough government program that is becoming increasingly demanded by communities. The rights to manage their surrounding lands in accordance with ancestral local wisdom are expected to be able to answer economic and ecological challenges. This paper specifically presents the development of social forestry and its issues and recommendations in the context of national development in Indonesia. The ecological harmony between humans and nature is a consideration of the importance of social forestry as a program to be continuously supported by the government, as well as to prioritize economic aspects in the principle of sustainable development.

Community Forest (CF) is a sustainable forest management scheme that involves local community in order to increase the level of community welfare. It is necessary to develop several business activities that are able to support forest ecology and improve the living standard of the community. These activities include making organic liquid fertilizer (POC). The purpose of this research is to analyze the business feasibility and business continuity of POC of farmer group Harapan Maju CF in the Mobui Village, Kembayan District, Sanggau Regency, West Kalimantan. Data were collected through interviews with the management of the joint business group (KUB) of Mobui Majua covering fixed and variable costs based on market prices. In this research, some assumptions that are in line with field conditions are used for financial and sustainability analysis of POC production. The result shows that the activity of making POC by Mobui Majua CF is financially feasible with a positive Net Present Value (NPV), Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) of 1.56, Return on Investment (ROI) of 55.67%, and Payback Period (PP) in 7.5 months. Human resources skill and capability, proper marketing strategy, effective institution and raw material supply certainty are influencing factors for the POC business sustainability

Purpose of Review Lowering the impact of forest utilisation on the forest environment is a part of the improvement in sustainable forest management. As part of forest utilisation, timber harvesting can also cause environmental implications. The main impact of forest operations is on the soil, on regeneration and on the residual stand. The aim of the present review was to identify the state of the art in forest utilisation, identifying how and how much forest operations affect forest soil, regeneration and the remaining stand. Particular attention was paid to the level of impact and potential to limit this. Recent Findings There are a large number of publications tackling forest harvesting, but most of them do not give a comprehensive framework and they mainly focus on one or very few aspects of forest damage. In order to improve general knowledge of the impact of forest operations, it was proposed that the scope of recent findings should be examined and a compilation of the available results from different regions should be presented in one paper. Summary It was found that the least impactful machine-based forest operations were harvester–forwarder technologies, while a larger scale of damage could be expected from ground-based extraction systems (skidders) and cable yarders. Animal power, if applicable, tended to be very neutral to the forest environment. A decrease in damage is possible by optimising skid trail and strip road planning, careful completion of forest operations and training for operators. The existence of legal documents controlling post-harvesting stand damage are rare and have been implemented in only two countries; there is no post-harvesting control on soil damage and natural regeneration.

Special Issue Introduction - Natural Capital and Ecosystem Service: Sustainable Forest Management and Climate Change

Forests represent a substantial part of global socio-economy platforms. As the wood-based industry contributes large revenue to Malaysia’s economy, the readiness of Peninsular Malaysia towards sustainable wood-based industry was measured based on the different types of wood processing industries and Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) practice. Surveys (1,447) from all operating timber mills according to their raw materials type for wood products processing in Peninsular Malaysia were analyzed using multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). Results showed that the sustainable practice in wood industry by SFM practitioners and non-practitioners were similar. All industries are using outdated technologies and consume local raw materials in producing wood products. The furniture industry is largely aware of SFM and consumes the least amount of logs to produce furniture.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the SVLK Timber Legality and Verification System, FSC Chain of Custody, PEFC Sustainable Forest Management for wood and wood-based products on the competitiveness of the wood industry in Central Java. This research was conducted in several companies that process wood or use wood as the main material in Central Java with a total of 300 respondents. The respondents of this study are wood industry employees as top management, managers and staff who have been implementing SVLK, FSC, PEFC for at least 2 years. The background of this study is due to the lack of PEFC, FSC and SVLK research on the wood industry in Indonesia's Central Java province. Data collection was carried out by distributing electronic questionnaires online during January 2020 and analyzing data processing using Structural Equation Model (SEM) and Linear Structural Model (LISREL) software version 8.70. The analysis shows that the application of SVLK, FSC Chain of Custody, PEFC Sustainable Forest Management significantly and positively affects the company's competitiveness such as increased customer satisfaction, increased sales and decreased customer complaints.

Indonesia is a main tropical timber-producing country and is a leader in implementing Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Voluntary Partnership Agreements (FLEGT-VPA) with the European Union (EU). In 2015, as a part of the FLEGT-VPA process, the government began a timber legality assurance system called Sistem Verifikasi Legalitas Kayu (SVLK), which is mandatory for all timber product businesses. Since November 2016, Indonesia has issued FLEGT licenses for timber products exported to the EU. This study shows that the SVLK scheme has added value for the public in controlling timber legality, eradicating illegal logging and illegal timber trading, enhancing sustainable forest management and contributing to legal timber trading. The scheme also has added value in providing legal certainty for businesses. However, it contributes less to product marketing and its use as a standard to assess sustainable forest management needs to be evaluated.

We compare sustainably managed with unmanaged forests in terms of their contribution to climate change mitigation based on published data. For sustainably managed forests, accounting of carbon (C) storage based on ecosystem biomass and products as required by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is not sufficient to quantify their contribution to climate change mitigation. The ultimate value of biomass is its use for biomaterials and bioenergy. Taking Germany as an example, we show that the average removals of wood from managed forests are higher than stated by official reports, ranging between 56 and 86 mill. m3 year−1 due to the unrecorded harvest of firewood. We find that removals from one hectare can substitute 0.87 m3 ha−1 year−1 of diesel, or 7.4 MWh ha−1 year−1, taking into account the unrecorded firewood, the use of fuel for harvesting and processing, and the efficiency of energy conversion. Energy substitution ranges between 1.9 and 2.2 t CO2 equiv. ha−1 year−1 depending on the type of fossil fuel production. Including bioenergy and carbon storage, the total mitigation effect of managed forest ranges between 3.2 and 3.5 t CO2 equiv. ha−1 year−1. This is more than previously reported because of the full accounting of bioenergy. Unmanaged nature conservation forests contribute via C storage only about 0.37 t CO2 equiv. ha−1 year−1 to climate change mitigation. There is no fossil fuel substitution. Therefore, taking forests out of management reduces climate change mitigation benefits substantially. There should be a mitigation cost for taking forest out of management in Central Europe. Since the energy sector is rewarded for the climate benefits of bioenergy, and not the forest sector, we propose that a CO2 tax is used to award the contribution of forest management to fossil fuel substitution and climate change mitigation. This would stimulate the production of wood for products and energy substitution.

Deforestation is a global phenomenon with a critical recognition. It is very visible mostly in developing countries in Asia and Southern America. In many regions where forest loss is significant, so much effort has been garnered towards protecting the natural forest and promoting sustainable forest management (SFM). Evidence of such efforts includes the various policies, principles, and frameworks put in place both at the international and domestic levels. Despite these efforts, forest depletion continues to thrive at alarming rates particularly in developing countries like Bangladesh. This paper brings out a plethora of complex causes and consequences of deforestation in Sylhet, Bangladesh, with the principal objective of using a structured decision-making (SDM) approach to address deforestation in Sylhet through a pluralistic stakeholder engagement that represents all the objectives of the various groups in a very understandable manner. Mainly deploying FGD to consult with different stakeholder groups, representing different interests working through the steps of SDM, the consultations developed a SDM framework with suggested alternative approaches towards addressing deforestation in Sylhet, Bangladesh. Based on the judgments of the consultations, suitable policy options for addressing deforestation in Sylhet, Bangladesh should focus on maximizing forest management, minimizing dependence on forest resources, and Alternative ‘A’ (Safe guarding forest by improving forest management). This case study provides insights on how SDM can be implemented for SFM in Sylhet, as well as some challenges and opportunities encountered during the process.

Shifting cultivation is an agricultural practice that is the basis of subsistence for the Indigenous population in Guyana and has impacted on a total forest area of 13,922ha to varying degrees of impact on forest carbon. Generally, within these communities, there are two types of shifting cultivation: pioneer and rotational. Pioneer shifting cultivation involves the cutting of primary forest and subsequent cropping and then abandonment. Rotational shifting cultivation involves revisiting areas on a rotational cycle. In Guyana, shifting cultivation is not included in the sustainable land use system since no work has been done to understand the rotational cycles. This study utilized an Object-based image analysis (OBIA) of time-series satellite data (Landsat TM5 and OLI) for the period 2004 to 2017 to determine the dynamics of land cover, time-series changes, and prevailing shifting cultivation cycle in the indigenous communities of Jawalla and Phillipai in the western section of Guyana. OBIA proved to be an efficient method for shifting cultivation and sustainable forest management analyses in Guyana. The findings of this study indicate that short fallows are associated with shifting cultivation in Guyana and the size of the patches cleared each year has been increasing. These trends have potential ecological and livelihood implications that can impact the flow of ecosystem services and the sustainability of livelihoods.