The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has monitored global forests through its Global Forest Resources Assessments (FRA) since 1948. These assessments serve as an invaluable source of information regarding forest resources, their management and use, and serve policy formulation and decision-making processes at various levels.

Over time, the FRA has undergone a transformation from an FAO-led exercise to a country-driven process where the officially nominated FRA National Correspondents are directly involved in the collecting, analysing, processing, documenting and reporting of their data and metadata to FAO. Complemented by enhanced technical methodologies, including digital reporting and review, remote sensing and the provision of tools for statistical time-series modeling, this approach has increased the global capacity to measure and monitor forests for more accurate and transparent reporting.

In addition to countries' active participation in the FRA process, networking among the FRA National Correspondents and their collaborators is key for successful FRAs and the continuous improvement of the quality and consistency of the data reported to FAO. Regional forest inventory networks are major contributors to these efforts, as already demonstrated by the excellent results achieved with the European Network of National Forest Inventories (ENFIN), North American Forestry Commission (NAFC) and the Network of National Forest Inventories of Latin America and the Caribbean (IFN-LAC).

These networks facilitate enhanced collaboration and knowledge sharing among countries, supplementing the existing FRA capacity-building programme by promoting the adoption of best practices in forest inventories and assessments. By serving as conduits for exchanging knowledge and experiences, they can boost technical capabilities and harmonize forest data across regions, fostering a comprehensive understanding of global forest resources.

Forest inventory networks assume multiple roles within the FRA capacity-building programme. For example, they offer platforms for countries to exchange expertise and advocate for proven methodologies and innovative approaches in forest assessments. Furthermore, forest inventory networks can support the standardization of assessment methodologies and indicators, therefore facilitating meaningful comparisons between countries.