Forest products and services

Sustainable Wood for a Sustainable World

Micro, small and medium-scale forest enterprises

Partnerships and initiatives

International Commission on Poplars and Fast-Growing Trees Sustaining People and Environment

Advisory Committee on Sustainable Forest-based Industries

Forest law enforcement, governance and trade

News

Grow the Solution initiative aims to promote wood-based products for climate

06/05/2024

The Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) Communicators Network Joint Initiative today launched a new initiative to encourage greater use of products made from sustainably grown wood as a key strategy for combating climate change.

FAO and EU launch 15 million euro project to boost sustainability of Uganda’s forestry sector

10/04/2024

FAO has launched a 15 million euro ($16.29 million) project funded by the European Union to help Uganda’s forestry sector contribute more sustainably to the economy and the environment.

Chris Steele-Perkins Magnum Photos for FAO

International Conference on Agrobiodiversity begins in Nepal

08/04/2024

Forest and farm producer organizations representing the world’s smallholder farmers, Indigenous Peoples and local communities are gathering in Pokhara, Nepal, this week to explore how to best manage the world’s agrobiodiversity.

Publications

Impact of the shea nut industry on women's empowerment in Burkina Faso

2017

This study, developed in collaboration with Bright Futures of Burkina Faso, surveys 183 women and 6 men including 36 leaders of shea groups, to provide quantitative analysis on the economic resilience derived from shea nuts in terms of income, assets and savings.

FAO Forestry Paper 177: Forestry for a low-carbon future

2016

This report brings together contributions from more than 100 experts on the different mitigation options offered by forests and wood products and on the enabling conditions for realizing their potential.

Unasylva 240: 300 years of sustainable forestry

2013

Three hundred years ago this year, a book was published that, according to some, marked the start of the modern concept of sustainable forest management. This edition of Unasylva explores this claim and reports on efforts worldwide to manage forests sustainably for the long-term benefit of people and the environment.

Videos

International Day of Forests 2024: New solutions for a better world

21/03/2024

Innovation is unlocking the forests’ long-kept secrets and allowing us to use trees in ways we never imagined possible.

Sustainable wood: The manifesto

06/12/2022

Over the centuries, we’ve moved away from using wood as a building material, at great cost to the planet.

Sustainable wood: Climate-friendly cities

01/12/2022

Find more videos on the FAO Forestry YouTube playlist

Sustainable wood: Housing a growing population

27/10/2022

A growing population means more buildings to fit everyone. By 2030, we will have to house an additional 3 billion people. Using wood from sustainably...

Sustainable Wood: Building the future

13/10/2022

Wood can be a material of the future, helping to build a bio-economy for the planet's health and economic recovery. Durable “cross-laminated timber”...

Forests and sustainable production and consumption

21/04/2022

For millions of people across the world, wood helps provide safe drinking water, food and shelter - but wood can do much more and is a renewable resource...

Is your toothbrush made of plastic or wood?

21/03/2022

Replacing more of the plastic things we use every day with wood-based products from sustainably managed forests can help combat climate change and achieve...

Sustainable forests: a powerful ally against climate change

24/02/2021

Climate change is subjecting our planet to unsustainable pressures. Forests and trees trap and store carbon as they grow – standing at the frontline...

Clean energy from sustainable wood

24/02/2021

The Sustainable Development Goals need forests

06/07/2018

Forests are critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and are a vital part of our global ecosystem. They not only contribute to...