FAO Forestry Papers

The FAO Forestry Paper series is FAO’s main series in forestry. Most volumes are published in several languages. 

Most recent

FAO Forestry Paper 189: Enabling micro, small and medium-sized enterprises to participate in legal timber production and trade

Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) have a critical role to play in meeting global demand for forest products but because of their size it is hard for them to meet legal requirements for timber production and trade. This paper draws from 110 initiatives in 20 countries supported by the FAO-EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Programme to provide examples of how to support forest sector MSMEs cost-effectively and at scale to integrate them into domestic and international legal timber value chains.

FAO Forestry Paper 188: Mainstreaming biodiversity in forestry

 Sustainable management of all forests is crucial for biodiversity conservation, and nations have committed to biodiversity mainstreaming under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Mainstreaming biodiversity in forestry requires prioritizing forest policies, plans, programmes, projects and investments that have a positive impact on biodiversity at the ecosystem, species and genetic levels. This study is a collaboration between FAO and the Center for International Forestry Research. Illustrated by eight country case-studies, the report reviews progress and outlines the technical and policy tools available for countries and stakeholders, as well as the steps needed, to effectively mainstream biodiversity in forestry.

FAO Forestry Paper 187: Grazing with trees. A silvopastoral approach to managing and restoring drylands

Trees in dryland forests and wooded areas provide key ecosystem services such as animal feed, timber, fruits and, regulation of soil and water cycles. Equally, the presence of livestock in dryland woody areas can also play an important role in the local ecosystem; not only are they a source of income for local communities, but they also help vegetation and mobilise stored biomass. When both of these ecosystem elements are wisely combined – livestock and trees – it creates an integrated agricultural system that can boost the local ecosystem, representing a welcome agro-ecological transition in livestock farming.

FAO Forestry Paper 186: FRA Remote Sensing Survey

The FRA 2020 Remote Sensing Survey is a global collaborative study of the land use dynamic between the years 2000, 2010 and 2018 focused on forest and forest changes conducted by FAO. Through 34 physical and virtual workshops, more than 800 local experts from 126 countries and territories were trained, evaluated and incorporated into the FRA Remote Sensing focal point network. This unique network of remote sensing specialists collected 400.000 samples between 2019 and 2020, allowing us to derive the most updated, consistent and reliable land use statistics at global, regional and global ecological zone level.

FAO Forestry Paper 185: A guide to forest-water management

Intact native forests and well-managed planted forests can be a relatively cheap approach to water management while generating multiple co-benefits. This paper argues that water-centered forests can provide nature-based solutions to ensuring global water resilience. This guide reviews emerging techniques and methodologies, provides guidance and recommendations on how to manage forests for their water ecosystem services, and offers insights into the business and economic cases for managing forests for water ecosystem services.

FAO Forestry Paper 184: Trees, forests and land use in drylands: the first global assessment

This publication presents the results of the first global assessment of trees, forests and land use in these lands. The assessment breaks new methodological ground: it relies on the visual interpreation of freely available satellite images, carried out by more than 200 experts in a series of regional workshops. Using a tool called Open Foris ollect Earth, developed by FAO in collaboration with Google, participants gathered and analysed information for mrore than 200 000 sample plots worldwide.

FAO Forestry Paper 183: FAO framework methodology for climate change vulnerability assessments of forests and forest dependent people

This publication provides practitioners with step-by-step guidance for conducting vulnerability assessments using the most appropriate tools. The guide will be useful for anyone conducting vulnerability assessments involving trees or forests, including forest owners, managers and administrators in the private and public sectors and in community forestry organizations, and land-use planners.

FAO Forestry Paper 182: Guide to the classical biological control of insect pests in planted and natural forests

 A great deal of knowledge on classical biological control has been accumulated worldwide in the last few decades. This publication, which was written by a team of experts, distils that information in a clear, concise guide aimed at helping forest-health practitioners and forest managers – especially in developing countries – to implement successful classical biological control programmes. 

FAO Forestry Paper 181: Climate change for forest policy-makers

This document is published as part of the effort by the Forestry Department of FAO to assist countries in their efforts to address policy issues related to forests and climate change by integrating climate change considerations into national forest-related policies and actions. It follows a specific request by the FAO Committee on Forests to update the 2011 edition of Climate Change for Forest Policy-Makers. 

FAO Forestry Paper 180: Making forest concessions in the tropics work to achieve the 2030 Agenda: Voluntary Guidelines

The importance of forests in helping to achieve global sustainable development has been largely acknowledged by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement. In order to ensure that forests deliver their socio-economic and environmental benefits, it is crucial to expand sustainable forest management (SFM) based on the best available practices. Although some progress towards SFM has been noted, the global proportion of land area covered by forests continues to decline.