Global Forest Resources Assessments

Global Forest Resources Assessments (FRA)

Since 1946, FAO has been monitoring the world’s forest resources through periodic assessments conducted in cooperation with its member countries. The information provided by the Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) presents a comprehensive view of the world’s forests and the ways in which the resource is changing. Such a clear global picture supports the development of sound policies, practices and investments affecting forests and forestry.

Public interest in the state of the world’s forest resources has been increasing over the past 70 years and, over time, the scope of the reporting framework has had to evolve and adapt to changing information needs. FAO’s assessments have embraced a more holistic perspective to address all the aspects of sustainable forest management (SFM).

While the earlier assessments were FAO driven with limited country involvement, a more bottom-up approach has been taken since the 1980s, with countries becoming more involved in both data collection and the process of reclassification, estimation and forecasting of national data to a common set of global categories. During the same period, the technical approach was improved, with assessments based on analysis of country sources supported by expert judgements, remote sensing and statistical modelling. Increased emphasis was also put on assessing trends in forest areas and stocks. Since FRA 1990, assessments have been published every five years.

For more information: http://www.fao.org/3/I8227EN/i8227en.pdf.

Insight into the Global Forest Resources Assessment process