The importance of timely and reliable information for strengthening sustainable
forest management and forestry sector planning and policy formulation is well
recognized. All of the global, national and local initiatives to promote sustainable
forest management indicate the need to strengthen the information system. But collection, processing and analysis of
information are very resource demanding and there is an urgent need for rationalization
of these processes. With several agencies involved in the collection of diverse
data, there is multiple duplication of information and often national resources
are stretched beyond their capacities. This sometimes leads to poor responses.
Since its establishment, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations (FAO) has been at the forefront of developing inter-institutional
collaboration in data collection and other related activities. FAO and the
UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) have been collaborating in data collection
and dissemination for nearly five decades, benefiting both
the member countries and the organizations. In the mid 1990s, the EUROSTAT
(of the European Union) became a collaborator and in 1998 the International
Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) Council agreed to join the system. Representatives
from the four organizations convened in September 1998 and January 1999; this
led to greater efforts for collaboration and the development of the Joint Forest Sector Questionnaire (JFSQ), merging the ongoing
work of FAO, ECE, EUROSTAT and ITTO.
The JFSQ now includes the FAO Forest Products Questionnaire,
the FAO UN/ECE EUROSTAT Timber Bulletin Questionnaire and the ITTO Forest
Products Enquiry that many countries received from individual organizations
until 1998.
This joint questionnaire responds to requests from member countries of all four
partner organizations to rationalize the data collection process and data
dissemination. More particularly it aims to reduce multiple requests for information
from member countries. The JFSQ is attached in Appendix 3 .
The basic principles and methods of cooperation include:
The information received through the joint questionnaire
is distributed to all four organizations. In this way, the supply of information
to international organizations is streamlined and avoids duplication of efforts.
The contents of the JFSQ are as follows:
| JQ1, JQ2 | Basic questionnaire for all countries on removal, production and trade |
| SP1 | All countries, for secondary wood and paper products and
trade values |
| EU1, EU2 | For EU and EFTA countries, requesting data on removal by species and intra-EU
and extra-EU trade |
| DT1, DT2 | Direction of trade, for non-ECE countries (for ECE countries, this information
is derived from general trade data sets, notably COMTRADE) |
| ITTO1, ITTO2, ITTO3 | For ITTO members, requesting data on trade in tropical species, and on market conditions and forecasts |
| ECE1, EU1, EU2 | For ECE members; requests more detailed information on trade of temperate species |
| JQ and DOT and SP1: | All countries |
| ECE: | All ECE countries |
| ITTO: | All ECE members of ITTO |
| EU: | All EU and EFTA members (candidates to the EU will also be requested to complete
this questionnaire) |
| FAO: | All non-EFTA, non-ECE and non-ITTO countries |
The statistical data collection categories for core forest products are structured hierarchically and are
mutually exclusive, covering production or trade (quantity and value). The
product categories are given in Appendix 3 (JQ1, JQ2, DOT1, DOT2), which are
the basic forms for the Yearbook of forest products, the flagship FAO statistical publication on
forest products.
The FAO coding (country codes and product codes) is
embedded within the JQ1&2 and DOT1&2 and SP1.
A clear and complete address is required and is essential
for any clarification or follow-up that is required.
Table 1. Geographical distribution of JFSQ and returns
Definitions
All terms and definitions have been harmonized and cross-referenced with the Customs Cooperation Council Harmonised System 1996 (HS96) and the UN Standard International Trade Classification Revision 3 (SITC rev.3 January 1988).
It became necessary during
the revision of the questionnaire to agree on certain terms and definitions,
as well as a system of cross-references to international multisector classifications.
Participants are invited to review the joint questionnaire paying particular
attention to this point because the questionnaire, through its concepts and
use of terms is setting the framework for all international analysis of developments
in the sector. It is of the utmost importance that the framework is coherent
and realistic.
"It is requested that the 2001 JFSQ be completed with all of
the details for the calendar year 2001 and that one copy is
sent in time to reach the different organizations by 20 August 2002 or earlier
if possible." This is a common sentence employed by all organizations.
Some work still needs to be done in harmonizing the
different dates for despatching the questionnaires and the deadline for returning
them. This is very important if a more accurate annual picture of the forestry
sector is to be obtained. Obviously, this depends on the timetable
priorities within each organization. The statistical
information cycle for the FAO Yearbook of forest products is reported in Appendix
1.
The fact that a country receives the JFSQ (containing the data for the four organizations)
only once is a major improvement in organizing data collection and ensuring
consistency in reporting. In my opinion, this is one of the main reasons why
the data quality of all four organizations has been criticized heavily in
the past. Previously, the same information was requested from the national
correspondent at four separate intervals by the four different
organizations during the year. Naturally the national correspondent provided
only the most recent data available (at different periods in the
year), with the ensuing consequences of inconsistency in subsequent documentation.
Data dialogue with correspondents will be carried out by
EUROSTAT for EU/(EFTA) countries, by ECE/FAO for all other ECE members, ITTO
for its member countries and by FAO for all remaining
countries. When sectoral or regional analysis or data revision is carried
out, each organization can request clarification from national correspondents.
EUROSTAT, FAO and ITTO will receive all the JFSQ returns
for their respective members in the ECE region from ECE/FAO Geneva for inclusion
in their respective systems/publications. In the same way ITTO will send the
JFSQ to FAO, ECE/FAO and EUROSTAT for their respective members.
It is assumed that the country returns are always
comprehensive. But on occasion they are incomplete for very different reasons.
Some basic data validation approaches are used to
monitor the quality of the data received and to decide whether to accept them
or to find an alternative data source. Frequently, when necess ary confirmation cannot be obtained,
estimates based on the previous year’s data are provided by flagging the information
with an "F" or an "*"
The basic validation routines for the possible items/aggregates
are:
In relation to the JFSQ in EXCEL,
as in the past, the equivalence approach is used. This is possible because
an empty questionnaire is provided where all the elements or aggregates have
to be entered; a section within the spreadsheet was developed for the validation of the data
entered. The equivalence was: 0
= aggregate (item1+item2+item3+...)
In the inputs there are unassociated automatic calculations, which
in the past created problems for the national correspondents. Now
the national correspondent can enter data available on hand
and insert personal calculations, estimations, conversions, etc. In particular,
the national correspondent can verify and identify any discrepancies and correct
the data accordingly.
The aggregates are not calculated automatically or left unprotected on purpose. This is because if for some reason the national correspondent does not have the items or there is the risk of a confidentiality breach the correspondent can still allocate the aggregate. This exception is becoming more and more frequent in the pulp and paper production sector.
International organizations depend on national institutions
to make the data available. The quality of international data depends first
on the quality of data collected by national institutions and secondly on
success in capturing that data for international use.
Availability of the JFSQ
The JFSQ is provided in EXCEL and is available in various media.
On hard copy, it can be sent via ordinary mail. But essentially the JFSQ is sent as a file
attachment to the e-mail addresses of the national correspondents who request
it. Notes on the JFSQ are provided by FAO (Appendix 2). In order to streamline the work of national correspondents and secretariats it
can be downloaded also from ftp://ftp.fao.org/fo/fon/fons/jq/jfsq.htm
The electronic spreadsheet version of the questionnaires in EXCEL comes in three
languages (English/French/Spanish) and can be customized according to the
language of the member country. This spreadsheet has a number of features
that will help with data entry and transmission. Other languages such as Russian,
Chinese and Arabic are available.
The Virtual Questionnaire (http://apps2.fao.org:8000/VirtualQuestionnaires), an online data entry component of the JFSQ is under
development. When it is ready, a country will be able to enter country
data directly into the FAOSTAT working system on real time. At present all ECE country
data are uploaded via the Geneva office. Within this year we will conduct
a trial with selected countries.
The JFSQ Returns are reported in Table 1.
Each organization will consolidate and disseminate the country data collected
according to its mandate.
As usual FAO will disseminate the data through the Yearbook of forest products
and FAOSTAT/CD annually and on the Internet in July and December.
Participants’ views on these matters should be reported to the appropriate bodies of the organizations, who will be invited to review the joint questionnaire. In February 2003, a revised version will be prepared for use in 2003 and subsequent years, taking into account all of the comments received.
This general enhancement has been made possible
for several reasons, but the key element has been the general availability
of information technology and the worldwide web within the administrations of most institutions/governments.
National correspondents at this workshop are invited to review the JFSQ and to provide inputs/suggestions with regard to data collection and analysis, specifically focusing on national and global needs for sector policy and planning and sustainable forest and forest product management.
Detailed plan:
IWGFS meeting
Date: 15–16/2/2001
Finalization of the JFSQ 2001
Dispatch of the Joint Forest Sector Questionnaire (JFSQ)
Date: 30/4/2001
The JFSQ in English, French and Spanish will be distributed to FAO correspondents in printed form. A note is included, which describes the objectives of the annual enquiry and expected returns of the JFSQ and the availability of a customized EXCEL Workbook at FTP ready for downloading via the WWW or a copy of it can be obtained via e-mail or by pouch.
Selected countries will use the online Virtual Questionnaire.
JFSQ/returns and sharing
Date: 15/6/2001 to 31/10/2001
Each country data returns is processed, validated and loaded within 10 days in the working system.
The JFSQ is shared between:
ITTO: weekly the JFSQs are sent to ITTO or received from ITTO
ECE: JQ1 and JQ2 from the ECE are uploaded in the working system by 20/6/2001
EUROSTAT: JQ1-2 on CIRCA by mid June and DOT1-2 by September
A reminder to FAO correspondents is sent in early September.
If required the country data are enriched with unofficial data sources.
The country data are available to our partners in a WRITE or READ mode for validation and usage.
Basic validation: ECE-EUROSTAT to June 20; FAO-ITTO to Sept 30.
Analytical validation: ECE-EUROSTAT (21–25 June); FAO-ITTO
(1–15) October.
Internet quarterly update s for WWW dissemination
Date: 30/06/2001; 31/10/2001
Preliminary data available for selected countries and products in June and the final data by November.
Yearbook of forest products publication
Date: 1/6/2001–30/9/2001 (prototype); 1/11/2001–30/11/2001 (final)
Revisions: multilingual text (5 languages); report writing and FTP procedures .
Data validations: regional, country, products, aggregates,
data level over time.
Production and release of statistical products
Date: 30/01/2002
Yearbook of forest products publication,
FAOSTAT/CD,
Yearbook of forest products publication in PDF on the WWW.
Dissemination/promotion of the statistical products
Date: 1/3/2002 onwards
Distribution of the Yearbook of forest products and the FAOSTAT/CD.
Ongoing activities
Date: ongoing over the year
Historical data revision, processing, validation, feedback, research, e-mail, revisions of classifications, revision of geographical and product aggregations, support to data user, etc.
Notes to National Correspondents
Dear colleagues
Enclosed please find the 2001 Joint Forest Sector Questionnaire. The participating agencies include United Nations/Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE), European Union (Eurostat), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO). This joint questionnaire is in response to requests from member states of all four-partner organizations to rationalize our approaches to forest sector data collection and dissemination.
The information received through the joint questionnaire is distributed to all the four organizations. In this way, the supply of information to international organizations is concentrated, streamlined and no duplication of efforts is envisaged.
Please fill in all the questionnaires attached to this letter: we will pass on, the data you supply, to the other organizations of which your country is a member.
All the terms and definitions have been harmonized and cross-referenced to Customs Cooperation Council Harmonised System 1996 (HS96) and the UN Standard International Trade Classification revision 3 (SITC rev.3 January 1988).
It is requested that the 2001 Questionnaire be completed with all details for the calendar year 2001 and that one copy sent in time to reach
FAO,
R. Michael Martin, Chief
Forestry Information and Liaison Unit
Forestry Department, Policy and Planning Division,
Via delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy,
Facsimile No:(+39 06) 5705-5137 or 5705-5514
E-mail: [email protected]
by 20 August 2002 or earlier if possible.
We have available an electronic spreadsheet version of the questionnaires in Excel. This spreadsheet has a number of features that will help in your data entry and transmission. It is available at:
ftp://ftp.fao.org/fo/fon/fons/jq/jfsq.htm
or can be obtained from [email protected] or [email protected].
Thank you for working with us to improve global forest sector statistics.
Yours sincerely
