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Encyclopedia > Sustainable forest management
It has been suggested that American Tree Farm System be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)
It has been suggested that Sustainable forestry be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Sustainable forest management (SFM) is the management of forests according to the principles of sustainable development. It is also the current culmination in a progression of basic forest management concepts preceded by Sustainable forestry and sustainable yield forestry before that. Sustainable forest management is the term currently used to describe approaches to forest management that set very broad social, economic and environmental goals. A range of forestry institutions now practice various forms of sustainable forest management and a broad range of methods and tools are available that have been tested over time. Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Sustainable forest management. ... Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... Sustainable forestry is a forest management concept. ... This article is about forests as a massing of trees. ... Sustainable development is defined as balancing the fulfillment of human needs with the protection of the natural environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but in the indefinite future. ... Sustainable forestry is a forest management concept. ... The sustainable yield of natural capital is the ecological yield that can be extracted without reducing the base of capital itself, i. ...


The Forest Principles adopted at The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 captured the general international understanding of sustainable forest management at that time. A number of sets of criteria and indicators have since been developed to evaluate the achievement of SFM at both the country and management unit level. These were all attempts to codify and provide for independent assessment of the degree to which the broader objectives of sustainable forest management are being achieved in practice. The Forest Principles is the informal name given to the Non-Legally Binding Authoritative Statement of Principles for a Global Consensus on the Management, Conservation and Sustainable Development of All Types of Forests, a document produced at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), informally known as... The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, also known as the Earth Summit (or, in Portuguese, Eco 92) was a major conference held in Rio de Janeiro from June 3 to June 14, 1992. ... Location of Rio de Janeiro Coordinates: , Country Brazil Region Southeast State Rio de Janeiro Government  - Mayor César Maia (Democrats) Area  - City 1,260 km²  (486. ...

Contents

Definition

A definition of the present day understanding of the term sustainable forest management was developed by the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE), and has since been adopted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).[1] It defines sustainable forest management as: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. ...

the stewardship and use of forests and forest lands in a way, and at a rate, that maintains their biodiversity, productivity, regeneration capacity, vitality and their potential to fulfill, now and in the future, relevant ecological, economic and social functions, at local, national, and global levels, and that does not cause damage to other ecosystems.

In simpler terms, the concept can be described as the attainment of balance - balance between society's increasing demands for forest products and benefits, and the preservation of forest health and diversity. This balance is critical to the survival of forests, and to the prosperity of forest-dependent communities.


For forest managers, sustainably managing a particular forest tract means determining, in a tangible way, how to use it today to ensure similar benefits, health and productivity in the future. Forest managers must assess and integrate a wide array of sometimes conflicting factors - commercial and non-commercial values, environmental considerations, community needs, even global impact - to produce sound forest plans. In most cases, forest managers develop their forest plans in consultation with citizens, businesses, organizations and other interested parties in and around the forest tract being managed.


Because forests and societies are in constant flux, the desired outcome of sustainable forest management is not a fixed one. What constitutes a sustainably managed forest will change over time as values held by the public change.


Criteria and indicators

Criteria and indicators are policy instruments by which progress towards implementing sustainable forest management may be evaluated and reported on. Criteria define and characterize the essential elements, as well as a set of conditions or processes, by which sustainable forest management may be assessed. Periodically measured indicators reveal the direction of change with respect to each criterion.


Criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management are widely used and many countries produce national reports that assess their progress toward sustainable forest management. There are nine international and regional criteria and indicators initiatives, which collectively involve more than 150 countries.[2] Three of the more advanced initiatives are those of the the Working Group on Criteria and Indicators for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Temperate and Boreal Forests (also called the Montreal Process) [3], the Ministerial Conference for the Protection of Forests in Europe [4], and the International Tropical Timber Organization [5]. Countries who are members of the same initiative usually agree to produce reports at the same time and using the same indicators. Within countries, at the management unit level, efforts have also been directed at developing local level criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management. The Center for International Forestry Research, the International Model Forest Network and researchers at the University of British Columbia have developed a number of tools and techniques to help forest-dependent communities develop their own local level criteria and indicators[6][7][8]. Criteria and Indicators also form the basis of the Canadian Standards Association certification standard for sustainable forest management. The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) an international research institution committed to conserving forests and improving the livelihoods of people in the tropics by helping farmers and communities gain from forest resources. ...


There appears to be growing international consensus on the key elements of sustainable forest management. Seven common thematic areas of sustainable forest management have emerged based on the criteria of the nine ongoing regional and international criteria and indicators initiatives. The seven thematic areas are:

  • Extent of forest resources
  • Biological diversity
  • Forest health and vitality
  • Productive functions and forest resources
  • Protective functions of forest resources
  • Socio-economic functions
  • Legal, policy and institutional framework.

This consensus on common thematic areas (or criteria) effectively provides a common, implicit definition of sustainable forest management. The seven thematic areas were acknowledged by the international forest community at the fourth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests and the 16th session of the Committee on Forestry.[9][10] The United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) is a high-level intergovernmental policy forum, composed of all United Nations Member States. ...


Ecosystem approach

The Ecosystem Approach has been prominent on the agenda of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) since 1995 . The CBD definition of the Ecosystem Approach and a set of principles for its application were developed at an expert meeting in Malawi in 1995, known as the Malawi Principles.[11] The definition, 12 principles and 5 points of "operational guidance" were adopted by the fifth Conference of Parties (COP5) in 2000. The CBD definition is as follows This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty that was adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. ... The Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty that was adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... The Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty that was adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. ...

The ecosystem approach is a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way. Application of the ecosystem approach will help to reach a balance of the three objectives of the Convention. An ecosystem approach is based on the application of appropriate scientific methodologies focused on levels of biological organization, which encompasses the essential structures, processes, functions and interactions among organisms and their environment. It recognizes that humans, with their cultural diversity, are an integral component of many ecosystems.

Sustainable forest management was recognized by parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2004 (Decision VII/11 of COP7) to be a concrete means of applying the Ecosystem Approach to forest ecosystems. The two concepts, sustainable forest management and the ecosystem approach, aim at promoting conservation and management practices which are environmentally, socially and economically sustainable, and which generate and maintain benefits for both present and future generations. In Europe, the MCPFE and the Council for the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy (PEBLDS) jointly recognized sustainable forest management to be consistent with the Ecosystem Approach in 2006.[12][13][14][15] The Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty that was adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. ...


Independent certification

Growing environmental awareness and consumer demand for more socially responsible businesses helped third-party forest certification emerge in the 1990s as a credible tool for communicating the environmental and social performance of forest operations. Certification, the process of certifying, or a certificate may refer to: Professional certification Product certification and certification marks Management System certification Cyber security certification Digital signatures in Public-key cryptography RIAA certification, RIAA Single certification in music, such as Gold or Platinum Film certification, also known as Motion picture rating...


There are many potential users of certification, including: forest managers, investors, environmental advocates, business consumers of wood and paper, and individuals.


With forest certification, an independent organization develops standards of good forest management, and independent auditors issue certificates to forest operations that comply with those standards. This certification verifies that forests are well-managed—as defined by a particular standard—and ensures that certain wood and paper products come from responsibly managed forests. Certified wood is timber products extracted from forests that are sustainably managed. ...


This rise of certification led to the emergence of several different systems throughout the world. As a result, there is no single accepted forest management standard worldwide, and each system takes a somewhat different approach in defining standards for sustainable forest management.


Third-party forest certification is an important tool for those seeking to ensure that the paper and wood products they purchase and use come from forests that are well-managed and legally harvested. Incorporating third-party certification into forest product procurement practices can be a centerpiece for comprehensive wood and paper policies that include factors such as the protection of sensitive forest values, thoughtful material selection and efficient use of products.[16]


There are more than 50 certification standards worldwide. Some common certification standards are:

The area of forest certified worldwide is growing rapidly. As of December 2006, there were over 2,440,000 square kilometres of forest certified under the CSA, FSC or SFI standards, with over 1,237,000 square kilometres certified in Canada alone.[19][20] Official logotype of FSC The Forest Stewardship Council is a non-profit organization based in Bonn, Germany. ... The Sustainable Forestry Initiative is a program to certify forests to insure they are being managed in a sustainable manner. ... The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC) is a system that tries to ensure the sustainability of wood products. ...


While certification is intended as a tool to enhance forest management practices throughout the world, to date most certified forestry operations are located in Europe and North America. A significant barrier for many forest managers in developing countries is that they lack the capacity to undergo a certification audit and maintain operations to a certification standard. World map showing the location of Europe. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... A developing country is a country with low average income compared to the world average. ...


See also

Sustainable forestry is a forest management concept. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Forest management includes a range of human interventions that affect forest ecosystems. ... A decidous beech forest in Slovenia. ...

References

  1. ^ Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe
  2. ^ Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management: A Compendium. Paper compiled by Froylán Castañeda, Christel Palmberg-Lerche and Petteri Vuorinen, May 2001. Forest Management Working Papers, Working Paper 5. Forest Resources Development Service, Forest Resources Division. FAO, Rome (unpublished)]
  3. ^ MPCI
  4. ^ MCPFE indicators
  5. ^ ITTO
  6. ^ CIFOR Criteria and Indicators Toolbox Series
  7. ^ International Model Forest Network Criteria and Indicators
  8. ^ SFM Indicator Knowledge Base
  9. ^ United Nations Forum on Forests (2004)
  10. ^ Committee on Forestry (2003)
  11. ^ Malawi Principles
  12. ^ MCPFE
  13. ^ Council
  14. ^ Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy
  15. ^ PEBLD Strategy
  16. ^ Forest Certification Resource Center
  17. ^ Canadian Standards Association
  18. ^ Sustainable Forestry Initiative
  19. ^ Canadian Sustainable Forestry Certification Coalition
  20. ^ CSA

Initiatives

United Nations

Classes Psilotopsida Equisetopsida Marattiopsida Pteridopsida (Polypodiopsida) this dnt make sense A fern is any one of a group of about 20,000 species of plants classified in the phylum or division Pteridophyta, also known as Filicophyta. ...

Governmental

  • Canadian Council of Forest Ministers' Criteria and Indicators of Sustainable Forest Management
  • Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management: A Compendium. Paper compiled by Froylán Castañeda, Christel Palmberg-Lerche and Petteri Vuorinen, May 2001. Forest Management Working Papers, Working Paper 5. Forest Resources Development Service, Forest Resources Division. FAO, Rome (unpublished).
  • Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE)
  • The Montreal Process - Working Group on Criteria and Indicators for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Temperate and Boreal Forests
  • The Sustainable Forest Management Indicator Database a free new database of indicators of SFM from around the world; sponsored by the Government of British Columbia, Canada
  • Sustainable Forestry: A Reality in Canada A brief description of Sustainable Forest Management Practices in Canada
  • Report: International Conference on the Contribution of Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management: The Way Forward (CICI-2003). Volume 1. 3 - 7 February 2003, Guatemala City, Guatemala.
  • Report: FAO/ITTO Expert Consultation on Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management. 2 - 4 March 2004, Cebu City, Philippines

NGO

Business

  • The WBCSD's Sustainable Forest Industry Project

Education

  • Department of Forest Resources Management, UBC Forestry

National reports on sustainable forest management

Reports are in English unless otherwise noted

  • Argentina (Spanish)
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • Chile (Spanish)
  • China (Chinese)
  • Europe (including Russian Federation)
  • Climate change impact in Europe Forest management and silvicultural responses to predicted climate change impacts on valuable broadleaved species.
  • Finland
  • France
  • Japan (English)(Japanese)
  • Mexico (Spanish)
  • New Zealand
  • Russian Federation (English) (Russian)
  • United Kingdom
  • United States of America

 

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