About FAO News Multimedia Main topics Statistics Members Publications

Sustainable forest management

©Ash Hayes/Unsplash

What is sustainable forest management?

Sustainable forest management (SFM) is defined as a "dynamic and evolving concept, which aims to maintain and enhance the economic, social and environmental values of all types of forests, for the benefit of present and future generations". When sustainably managed, forests and trees make vital contributions to people and the planet by bolstering livelihoods, providing clean air and water, conserving biodiversity and helping combat climate change.

 
FAO’s role in promoting sustainable forest management

Despite the significant progress made towards SFM globally (see this article for an analysis), implementation is highly variable, particularly in the tropics where the capacity to enforce SFM policies, laws and regulations is uneven. Moreover, land uses such as agriculture are often financially more attractive than SFM in the short term, which can encourage deforestation.

FAO supports countries in overcoming these and other forest-related challenges by providing policy advice, technical assistance and capacity building. For example, it helps countries assess their forest resources, define the elements of SFM, monitor progress, and identify, test and promote innovative forest management approaches.

The world's mangrove report 2000-2020

Read this interactive story and report on mangroves to discover surprising facts about this unique forest type and to learn about the status of mangrove forests worldwide.

Browse the SFM Toolbox

The SFM Toolbox contains a set of easy-to-access tools and case studies in nearly 50 modules addressing a wide range of topics related to SFM.

Did you know?
#1

Forests covered 4.06 billion ha (31 percent of the world’s total land area) in 2020.

#2

Forests harbour most of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, with tropical forests alone containing more than 50 percent of all species on land.

#3

Forests play a central role in combating climate change – for example, they collectively store almost as much carbon as there is in the atmosphere.

#4

Forests serve as a safety net for people and communities by providing clean air, regulating water, sequestering carbon, mitigating disasters and bolstering livelihoods.

#5

SFM is expanding globally, but progress is uneven.

#6

An estimated 420 million ha of forest has been lost worldwide since 1990, but the rate of forest loss declined substantially between 2010 and 2020.

#7

Nearly 90 percent of this global deforestation is due to agricultural expansion.  Unsustainable harvesting, overgrazing, climate change, fire and invasive species are also contributing to degradation and loss of forests around the world.

#8

Multipurpose management and conservation through sustainable use can optimize forest benefits.

Latest publications
The State of the World’s Forests 2024 - Forest-sector innovations towards a more sustainable future
07/2024

Innovation is essential for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. It is also an important accelerator for the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems and for achieving global goals such as the eradication of hunger and poverty and the sustainable management and use of natural resources.

A guide to multiple-use forest management planning for small and medium forest enterprises
11/2023

This publication discusses the concept, evolution, and requirements of forest management planning, focusing on multiple-use forest management and small and medium forest enterprises. Forest management planning is a document that translates forest policies into a coordinated programme for managing forests over a set period of time, integrating environmental, economic, and social dimensions.

The world's mangroves 2000-2020
08/2023

This report provides global and regional estimates of the area covered by mangrove forests, including area changes between 2000 and 2020. It analyses the drivers of these global, regional and subregional changes for the periods 2000–2010 and 2010–2020 with the aim of improving understanding of these drivers, their interactions and how their relative importance has shifted over time.