The need to develop instruments to capture the realistic stumpage volume and influence loggers to improve on their logging efficiency has been a topic of interest in recent times. This study assessed the logging efficiency in Ghana and developed allometric models to predict stumpage volume. A total of 135 trees from nine timber species were sampled from three logging sites during commercial logging operations. The average logging recovery for all sampled trees was about 75 %. The small-end diameter of the merchantable residues averaged between 31 cm and 60 cm while their length values varied from 3.0 m to 8.5 m. In general, species-specific models exhibited better predictive power than mixed-species models. Models that predicted total merchantable volume from the volume of the extracted logs had the best fits, with Furnival index values ranging from 0.590 to 1.727. Results of the models' validation indicated that mixed species models could predict merchantable volume better for relatively small trees than for big trees with merchantable volume greater than 20 m³.

Indigenous Community Forest Operations (CFOs) that have been certified according to the Principles and Criteria of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) face numerous obstacles in their struggle to remain certified and obtain tangible economic benefits. Three basic conditions for successful CFO certification are (i) socio-economic stability, (ii) economic viability, and (iii) community members demonstrating an understanding of the key concepts of the FSC certification process. Based upon fieldwork in four Bolivian CFOs and more than 140 interviews, this paper identifies some of the major constraints on community forestry certification in Bolivia. The findings suggest that the present conditions in the studied CFOs are jeopardizing FSC certification and its ability to yield a positive financial cost-benefit balance in the long term. In contrary to what is generally being assumed by Bolivian FSC experts and stakeholders, this study suggests that the recent tendency to form certified community-company alliances, as an alternative to existing approaches, might not (yet) be able to deliver much direct economic benefits to the communities.

The World Bank has historically funded, and thus heavily influenced, a significant amount of forestry activities in developing countries in recent decades. The Bank's approach towards investment in forestry has undergone major changes. Early projects financed industrial operations to the detriment of tropical native forests. In the early 1990s, the Bank's forestry strategy prioritized forest preservation. The Bank's strategy shifted again at the turn of the century, to focus on sustainable management and the role of forests in poverty alleviation. This paper examines the changes in policy direction undertaken by the Bank, in light of concurrent changes in international forest policy and the conservation community. The central question addressed is whether the Bank has led the way in bringing about change in the forestry paradigm, or were the different Bank strategies reactions to the policy environment and prevailing attitudes and pressures of the time?

The economic concept of the forest sector as a cluster of interlinked wood-based industries is contributing to a growing understanding of a large sector in national economies of Europe. Although national level surveys have demonstrated the forest sector's global impact, neither its role in regional economies nor its distribution in geographic space are well understood. Attempting a regionalized analysis of the forest sector, this paper explores an approach combining regional economics and spatial statistics. Standard concentration indices (Gini coefficient, location quotient) and geostatistical autocorrelation measures for regional clustering (Moran's I and Getis-Ord G) are combined in an exploratory spatial analysis of detailed county-level employment statistics for Germany. The case study reveals decisive impacts of the forest sector on regional employment especially in rural areas. Regional industrial clusters and pairwise patterns of co-agglomeration of sawmilling, wood-based panels, wood-based construction and furniture industries are identified in geographical space. The pronounced spatial variability within Germany's forest sector is linked to regional factors influencing geographic location, size and regional association of the industries under study. The research offers a suitable geostatistical approach for regional industrial targeting of the forest sector that can be supportive to informed rational decision-making in forest cluster development and policy.

Forest inventory in China provides valuable information on forestry policy formulation, forest management planning, and international forestry related reports. It includes the national forest inventory (Level I), the forest management planning inventory (Level II), and the forest operation design inventory (Level III) as the primary components. This paper describes the evolution of the inventory system focusing on forest inventories at levels I and II in terms of sampling strategy, plot design, output, and the application of information techniques. The current forest inventory system faces challenges in its transition from a forestry development strategy catered towards timber production in China to one where ecological-oriented management is the primary concern. At the same time, information needs to be expanded from local to national and international scales. Potential improvements are discussed that include sampling design, plot design, potential use of new remote sensing techniques as well as further data analysis.

A bio-economic model is used recursively to analyze charcoal supply from the charcoal zone to urban consumers in Kampala. The model is a combination of a non-linear matrix forest growth model and an economic model with the objective of maximizing annual profit from charcoal production for the period 2003–2050. Standing stock and charcoal production for each time period are predicted for the base scenario, and alternate scenarios relating to technological advances and regulatory interventions. In the base scenario, harvest levels are above the sustainable yield, with 85% reduction in standing stock by the year 2050. A sudden collapse in charcoal supply occurs in the year 2019. Combining technological advances and regulatory interventions leads to more sustainable charcoal supply as compared to implementation of any single regime. Policy makers are therefore faced with the challenge of such implementations in order to achieve sustainable resource utilization.

Indonesia's forestry sector is in a dilemma due to the long-standing disparity between high processing capacity of forest industries and the limited supply of timber. The supply crunch has led to over-harvesting in order to meet demand and resulted in a decline of natural forests. The Indonesian government seeks to revive the forestry sector and secure its long term survival through a massive timber plantation effort: 9 million hectares of new plantations by 2016. This paper shows that while timber plantations are vital for the future of Indonesia's woodworking sector, the expansion plan relies on overly optimistic assumptions about the current state of Indonesia's timber plantations, their future performance, and associated benefits. In order to ensure effective implementation of the new plantation policy, this paper analyzes its key underlying principles and identifies information gaps that need to be filled.

The trade relationship between small-scale growers and processing companies often plays an important role in determining the nature and extent of benefits derived from commercial forestry, and the distribution of these benefits. Many strategies are used by individual small-scale growers, village communities, companies and government agencies to form partnerships to undertake commercial forestry — including outgrower schemes, land leasing by companies, and using intermediary brokers between small-scale growers and processors. This article reports on the key findings of a three-year research project that explored different business partnerships used in commercial forestry in Australia and Indonesia, and identified the critical factors for beneficial and enduring partnerships. The key lessons from this research are that, for many small-scale growers to form successful partnerships with other investors, they need:

Decentralization in natural resource management (NRM) is increasingly promoted as it is believed to offer better management. This study explores the positive and negative aspects of the forestry conflict that sometimes increases with decentralization. Drawing upon the results of a case study from Sumatra, this study examines how forestry conflict under decentralization processes was viewed by stakeholders. The conflict involved a logging company and a local community, and centered on a disputed forest boundary. The community accused the company of logging within the boundaries of its communal forest. In contrast, the company argued that it was logging within a state forest and was legally protected because it held a legitimate permit issued by the government. It is obvious that the conflict revolved around property rights claims. While forestry conflict is often viewed as a purely negative phenomenon this study shows that forestry conflict has both negative and positive sides. Stakeholders had both negative and positive perceptions of the issue. Conflict was seen to accelerate deforestation, sour relationships and generate high social risk. On the other hand, stakeholders suggested that conflict also created opportunities to participate in forest management, allow negotiation and stimulate learning. To address conflict under decentralization, property rights claims (de facto vs. de jure) need to be addressed and reconciled through negotiation processes so that positive aspects of conflict can be fostered and negative ones can be avoided. Additionally, decentralization needs to be prepared and implemented with care. Strong legal frameworks, clear implementation guidelines and capacity building for stakeholders are important elements that can contribute to the effectiveness of decentralization.

During the 1970s it became widely recognised that in developing countries meeting rural needs for forest outputs could be as important as forest protection and meeting the needs of forest industries. This paper reviews arguments and events that led to the decision to pursue this additional dimension of forestry development at that time. It also discusses a joint initiative that FAO and SIDA put in place to help address the needs and issues involved in such a transition in a systematic and focused manner during its early years.

The Sawlog Production Grant Scheme (SPGS) has supported private sector tree planting in Uganda since 2004. The project has been the catalyst for attracting substantial investment into timber plantations from small-medium local growers to large foreign investors. Over 10,000 hectares have been already established with huge interest to do much more. Many rural jobs are being created and the foundations are being laid for a sustainable, commercial forest industry in Uganda. The SPGS has evolved into a robust model that successfully engages private growers: and this is in a country where tree planting on a commercial scale was always considered the State's business. The background and modus operandi of the project are detailed in this article as well as the challenges encountered. With the project creating considerable interest from other countries, the key elements that have contributed to making the SPGS a success are discussed to encourage its replication elsewhere.

Forests have returned to the international political agenda as governments deliberate on the successor to the Kyoto Protocol. Yet forest scientists are ill-equipped to answer the questions raised in these discussions, since their concepts and practices are less applicable at global scales. This article outlines key elements of a new global forest science that could answer these questions. It would, for example, monitor the world's forests annually, just as astronomers observe the universe; show how to construct reliable global knowledge about forests; devise methods to identify normative long-term trends in national forest cover to make a Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) Scheme feasible; improve our understanding of the role of forests in global environmental governance; and map biodiversity and carbon stocks holistically so that combating climate change does not undermine biodiversity.

One of the foundational studies of social network analysis produced a depiction of scientific collaboration by tracing a network of scientific papers linked by co-authorships and co-citations, which has since spurred numerous studies on the typology, organization and dynamics of scientific research networks. This paper introduces social network analysis and its analytical measures of network structure. It then demonstrates the utility of social network analysis in forestry, in the evaluation of large research networks such as the Sustainable Forest Management Network (SFMN), and suggests other important uses of network visualization to facilitate exploring, discovering and selecting resources in a database.