Vol. 6
March 1952
AN INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF FORESTRY AND FOREST PRODUCTS
NOTE: The first number in heavy type refers to the Volume number, the second to the issue number.
PRINCIPLES OF FOREST POLICY
The conference was unanimously of the opinion that the Principles of Forest Policy contained in the resolution below should be recommended for the attention of all member governments. This resolution deals only with fundamental principles which must of necessity be interpreted in the light of the social and economic conditions prevailing in each country. It provides a framework on which each and every country can elaborate its own forest policy. Adoption by the Conference of the following resolution is of historic significance in securing better forest management the world over."
With these words the report of the Sixth Session of the FAO Conference prefaces its resolution on Principles of Forest Policy, which is reproduced in full overleaf. Representatives of 65 nations attended this session of the Conference, held at Rome at the end of 1951, and thus the resolution may indeed be said to have world wide endorsement. In fact, it is doubtful whether even the relatively few sovereign countries that chose to remain outside the membership of FAO would find anything objectionable in the wording as it stands.
When the creation of FAO was first being discussed during the war years, there was a high feeling of idealism and dedication abroad, as Mr. Dean Acheson, United States Secretary of State, recalled in his address to the Conference. The 1945 report of the Interim Commission on Food and Agriculture to the Governments of the United Nations stated - "In due course, governments may wish to consider the adoption of a formal declaration that recognizes the achievement of the basic objectives (of a world forest policy) as a duty to their peoples, to each other and to the world." It was important, the report said, that all governments should adopt progressive forest policies; the declaration by governments, as proposed above, would constitute an important step in that direction.
It has now been thought timely that such a declaration should be made.
For many countries, fortunately, the resolution expresses nothing that has not been honored for many years. It contains nothing that involves a legal commitment by any country - only a moral commitment to an idea and the force of enlightened opinion. Its very simplicity may be disarming, yet a very considerable amount of thought, discussion and argument went into its phraseology and each sentence has manifold implications.
The whole statement now carries the recognized authority and weight of pronouncements made by an international assembly of the stature of the FAO Conference. For foresters and all others who may be concerned, the resolution provides an instrument and a telling argument for winning acceptance of the principles by politicians and executives whose responsibility it must be to give them life.
Cover Photograph: Our cover photograph shows Queen Elizabeth 11 (then Princess Elizabeth) planting an oak tree during her tour of Canada in 1951. The late King, George VI, whose death in February the whole world mourned, had a deep interest in forestry. He was Patron of the Royal Forestry Society of England and Wales, of the Royal Scottish Forestry Society, and of the Empire Forestry Association. The first Commonwealth Forestry Conference under the new reign will take place in Canada in August and September of this year.
(Photo by courtesy of Pulp and Paper Magazine of Canada).
UNASYLVA is prepared by the Forestry Division, and published by FAO at the Organization's Headquarters in Rome. UNASYLVA is published in English, French and Spanish. In conformity with the established custom of FAO, all units of measurement used in UNASYLVA are given in the author's figures; conversions are added, where necessary, in parentheses. UNASYLVA may be obtained from the sales agents listed on the back cover. Annual subscription, US $ 2.50; 12s 6d; single copy, 60 cents, 3s 3d; rates are payable in local currencies when orders are placed through local sales agents. A full series of back numbers is still available.
This electronic document has been scanned using optical character recognition (OCR) software and careful manual recorrection. Even if the quality of digitalisation is high, the FAO declines all responsibility for any discrepancies that may exist between the present document and its original printed version.
Part I: Principles governing the formulation of a forest policyW. Forbes Wright
Part II: Principles governing the implementation of a forest policy
J. L. Calheiros e Meneses
The
cork industry in Portugal
E.H.F. Swain
Forestry
possibilities in Ethiopia
North America
United States
Outlook for North America
Europe
Outlook in Europe
Aerial view of FAO headquarters, Rome
Sixth session of the FAO conference
Technical assistance notes
Training of forest workers
General
Fundamental science
Silviculture
Logging and engineering
Forest injuries and protection
Mensuration and surveying
Forest management
Forest products and their utilization
Forest policy
OEEC: Some publications of the organization for European economic co-operation Paris, France
1951: Yearbook of forest products statistics