Publications

Stories are a primary means through which we gain understanding. This publication provides an evocative re-telling of personal experiences and reflections enabling better comprehension of the struggles, dramas and tragedies associated with the changes and loss of Philippine forests. Forest Faces is a poignant reminder of what has been lost, and a paean for what might be regained. The faces featured in this book reflect the naive, the hopeful, the anxious, the fearful, the complacent, and the frustrated. Their stories talk about the prevailing poverty in the uplands, the search for pragmatic adaptations and mitigation mechanisms in the lowlands, well-intentioned policies with no serious implementation, the continuing illegal and "illegal" legal activities – painful realizations of past wrong decisions made. There is almost always a reflection on the past and what needs to be done today. There are more than 40 faces in this book, yet the stories can easily be appreciated by all Filipinos (and beyond) and valued as an articulation of thoughts and hopes that may lead to action.

Considering the broad range of people and sectors impacted by forests, decision-making in forestry can no longer be the exclusive domain of governments and the privileged groups of people. For forest management to be successful in today's world, mechanisms must be established to ensure effective participation of diverse stakeholders in decision-making processes. The purpose of such multi-stakeholder processes is to balance the perspectives and priorities of all affected and interested individuals and groups, leading to forest management approaches that better serve the needs and priorities of all. Such processes also serve to foster wider support and a sense of ownership for the decisions that are taken, so that their implementation will be more effective. This publication is intended to further increase the knowledge and understanding of multi-stakeholder processes in forestry in the Asia-Pacific region, leading to more rapid adoption of multi-stakeholder processes that are truly effective in delivering the diverse benefits of forests to society in a balanced and equitable manner.

To address the challenge of capturing opportunities in forest harvesting and wood processing for the benefit of the poor, FAO and a broad range of partner institutions collaborated in convening this international conference – attended by 150 participants from 31 countries – from 3 to 6 October 2006 in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. The conference specifically aimed to draw out recent experiences on pro-poor forest harvesting and processing, and to deveop strategies for further enhancing the effective involvement of the poor in these activities. Five themes were highlighted: policies and legislation, economic aspects, forest management modalities and institutional issues, technical aspects and market access. The emerging themes were brought together into a declaration that targets key areas for attention by policy-makers, the private sector, practitioners and communities. This publication provides the proceedings of the workshop including papers on each of the conference themes, as well as the conference declaration.

The experiences and successes in handling the outbreaks of B. longissima provide valuable lessons for multidisciplinary approaches to managing invasive species whether in agriculture or forestry. It is increasingly evident that activities, whether with forestry or agriculture, are intimately connected and have profound effects on each other – whether with the movement of invasive species into an area, or solutions to the problems. This reinforces the view that such problems cannot be solved without the active collaboration of both sectors. With this as the background, APFISN together with the USDA Forest Service, FAO and the Asia-Pacific Association of Forestry Research Institutions (APAFRI) jointly organized the workshop on which this publication reports.

A decade ago, member countries of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC) expressed their commitment to sustainable forest management and decided collectively to develop a regional code of practice for forest harvesting. Ten years later, the ASEAN Secretariat and FAO set out to assess whether the development of the regional code (published in 1999) and subsequent national codes have made a tangible difference in the way forest harvesting is conducted in ASEAN member countries. The results of the review are presented in this report.

This publication reports the proceedings of the APFC session held in Dehradun, India from 17 to 21 April 2006. The Commission considered progress towards sustainable forest management in the region and noted the positive trend of forest plantation expansion, but expressed concern over continuing loss of natural forests. Delegates cited several common threats to the region's forests including illegal and uncontrolled logging, invasive species, forest fires and competition from alternative land uses. The document lists a summary of the recommendations made by the Commission session, as well as regional issues identified by the Commission for the attention of the FAO Committee on Forestry.

Invasive species have a long history of causing damage to forests in Asia and the Pacific, and a variety of infestations are currently having significant impacts in a number of countries. The damage caused by invasive species imposes enourmous costs on the forests of the region in terms of ecological destruction, economic losses and detrimental social effects. To begin to address the challenges of forest invasive species, the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission convened the Asia-Pacific Forest Invasive Species Conference, 17-23 August 2003, in Kunming, China. This publication provides an overview of the results of the workshop and includes a summary of the technical presentations, as well as papers describing country initiatives related to invasive species.

This publication reflects the outcome of an ambitious initiative to identify instances of exemplary forest management in the region and examine the core components of such management. By illustrating good forest management practices to a wide audience, others are encouraged to take up some of the most promising ideas, methods and approaches. More than 170 nominations were received from 21 countries in the region. Twenty-eight case studies were selected. Each tells a compelling story of innovations in meeting management challenges and of initiatives that might provide learning experiences for other forest managers. The book shatters the myth that there is no positive forestry being practiced in the region and celebrates the triumphs of forest managers, farmers and local communities in balancing the range of socio-economic and environmental demands made on forests. In doing so, it reveals monumental accounts of innovation, perseverance and dedication from across the region – stories that should inspire and motivate others to redouble their efforts to protect and manage effectively the region's spectacular forests.

As the role of the public sector in forest plantation development diminishes, governments and their respective forestry agencies are increasingly asking what it takes to encourage non-government entities to grow trees. There is much interest in offering incentives to prospective small- and large-scale investors. Yet, little is known about the role that direct and indirect incentives have in influencing plantation development. This publication helps fill this knowledge gap by examining how incentives influence plantation development, through a series of country case studies in the Asia-Pacific region. Although direct comparisons between countries are problematic, a common theme emerges: clear, consistent and stable policies and a favourable investment climate are essential to promote the development of forest plantations by both small- and large-scale producers. These factors have proven to be more important than the provision of direct incentives such as free seedlings or tax deductions. The overall picture that emerges is sufficiently coherent to outline a set of guiding principles that should help policy makers and forest managers to better understand the key issues, challenges and opportunities concerning private investment in forest plantation development.

RILSIM (Reduced-Impact Logging SIMulator) is a software package that facilitates the financial analysis of alternative logging systems. It enables forest operators to compare logging costs based on local conditions, wages, equipment costs, production rates, prices and other factors. It has been designed as a teaching tool, with a help system that describes the principles of financial analysis and guides users through each stage of the simulation.

RILSIM is available free of charge and can be downloaded from the following website: http://www.blueoxforestry.com/RILSIM/rilsim-options.htm.

The 20th session of APFC was held 19-23 April 2004, in Nadi, Fiji. A document CD of the session containing the final report of the session, as well as the documents and presentations prepared for the session has been produced and can be requested by contacting the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

The Asia-Pacific region is characterized by diversity and rapid change. These attributes are reflected in the forestry sector, where the rapid evolution of social, economic and environmental issues means policies, legislation, institutions and the broad forestry community are being challenged to cope with constantly shifting goals and expectations.

This publication provides a broad status report and overview of developments in forestry in the region during the past several years. It has been prepared to inform and update policy makers, forestry officials and others interested in recent developments in the region's forestry sector.

Popular demand for the first edition of this publication quickly exhausted stocks. APFC is therefore pleased to announce that a revised 2nd edition of this publication has been produced, in which the original text has been reformatted and photos have been included.

For much of the last two decades, forestry discussions have been dominated by calls for sustainable management of forest resources; however, practical solutions remain few and far between. One of the few exceptions has been the development of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management, which provide a meaningful and practical means for countries to gauge periodic progress towards sustainable forest management. This practical guide for the assessment, monitoring and reporting on national level criteria and indicators for dry forests in Asia is a comprehensive instruction book on the process of collecting and assembling national level information and reporting. In addition, the guide describes an overall format for reporting the progress made towards sustainable management of dry forests and the provisions that need to be in place in order to ensure successful implementation of the assessment system. These provisions include institutional arrangements and preparations for assessment and training needs.

The 19th session of the APFC was held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 26-30 August 2002.

There is a broad consensus that timber harvesting must be improved in order to achieve sustainable forest management. Reduced impact logging (RIL) is a key component of improved forest management. Its implementation is largely contingent on satisfying economic and institutional concerns. In tropical forests, RIL has been tested and applied on a small scale for more than a decade. Various timber producing countries in Asia and the Pacific have recognized its potential for advancing sustainable forest management. Yet, many questions remain and the lack of sound and appropriate information continues to impede the widespread application of RIL.

This publication helps fill that critical information gap. It includes a wealth of information that was presented during the International Conference on the application of reduced impact logging to advance sustainable forest management, held 26 February to 1 March 2001, in Kuching, Malaysia. The conference assessed past and ongoing efforts to implement RIL and considered options for future application. This publication represents an important milestone in the efforts to improve forest management in the region. While acknowledging that considerable challenges lie ahead, it provides reason for cautious optimism concerning the wider application of RIL in the future.

A copy of the document can be obtained from the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

Timber harvesting and wood processing in the Asia-Pacific region generate huge volumes of residues—often referred to simply as " wastes. " Little is known about the actual quantities of residues that are produced, or the volumes that could be used productively and cost-effectively. The heterogeneity of residues that are generated, and the diversity of circumstances under which they are used, begs the question of whether residues are simply " trash" or indeed an under-appreciated " treasure" that might contribute significantly in the pursuit of sustainable forest management.

"Trash or treasure" does not claim to provide the definitive answer to this question, however, it offers insights into the magnitude of residues that are generated and could potentially be used for productive purposes. It also recommends ways to reduce unnecessary logging and mill residues, and suggests approaches to encourage better use of those residues that cannot be avoided.

In recent years, countries in the Asia-Pacific region have made numerous efforts to improve forest operations. An important milestone was reached with the development of the Code of Practice for Forest Harvesting in Asia-Pacific, which encourages environmentally-sound forest harvesting. Although the need for change has been accepted widely, putting the Code into practice is constrained by a number of factors. Perhaps the most critical of these is the lack of skilled and properly trained industry and forest agency personnel.

The Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission has prepared the Regional Training Strategy to help address this impediment. FAO is pleased to make this document available to assist countries in developing training activities with the goal of improving forest harvesting for the benefit of the region's forests and its people.

As concern over the fate of natural forests grows, many decision makers are seeking effective means of conserving these precious remaining resources. Several Asia-Pacific countries have declared their natural forests “off limits” or “out of bounds” to logging companies by imposing logging bans or other restrictions on timber production. These policies have effectively closed legal timber harvest operations in many areas. But have they actually succeeded in achieving the forest conservation objectives that were intended? And what have the social and economic costs of these policies been?

In an attempt to answer these crucial questions, this publication presents the results of a two-year study conducted under the auspices of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission to assess the effectiveness and impacts of logging bans and other timber harvesting restrictions in Asia and the Pacific. FAO is pleased to make this study available to help guide policy makers in their efforts to develop and promote sustainable forest management in the region.

With financial and technical support from the Government of Australia, the APFC has completed a regional strategy for implementing the Code of Practice for Forest Harvesting in Asia-Pacific. The document was published in July 2000 and provides details on how to improve forest-harvesting practices, with reduced environmental and social impacts. The goals and objectives of the regional strategy are expressed as eight strategies for implementation:
1. encourage appropriate public and political support for implementation of the Code;
2. develop awareness and support for the Code at the regional and national policy-making levels by stakeholders;
3. develop a forest sector that is educated and trained in Code implementation;
4. encourage the development and implementation of national codes based on the Asia-Pacific Code;
5. establish demonstration and training forests;
6. implement monitoring and auditing systems;
7. collate past and present research results allowing development of appropriate research activities and directions in support of sustainable forest management;
8. continue to develop and implement sustainable forest management practices in Asia-Pacific.
The time frame for implementing the regional strategy is 10 years.

The 18th session of the APFC was held 15-19 May 2000, in Noosaville, Queensland, Australia.

This report contains a compilation of background papers for the 30 November - 3 December 1999 workshop, which was organized in the Indian city of Bhopal by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), the USDA Forest Service and the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM). Besides the presentations by experts from FAO, ITTO, IIFM and the Chinese Academy of Forestry, the publication includes summaries of sustainable forest management programmes in Bhutan, China, India, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The meeting was organized to follow-up a recommendation by the seventeenth session of the Asia Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC) in 1998, to promote better understanding of forest management-evaluation criteria and indicators as a highly useful tool for the sustainable use of the region's forests.

This publication commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC) by providing a full account of the Commission's evolution. The APFC held its inaugural session in Bangkok in 1950. Since then, its original membership has grown from 12 to 30 countries, making it the region's largest and most inclusive intergovernmental body in the field of forestry. Numerous APFC subcommittees and working groups have dealt with a wide range of issues over the years, continuously expanding the state of information about forests and options for development in the region. The establishment of the APFC as a subsidiary body of FAO in 1950 was a direct outcome of the early work undertaken by the FAO's Forestry Division. APFC subsequently evolved in close relation with the Forestry Division, which later became a Department within FAO. As such, the story of the Commission not only reflects the development of FAO's forest-related activities, but more broadly the unfolding of international forestry thinking and practice, and international forestry development assistance.

Governments throughout Asia and the Pacific are creating exciting and innovative opportunities for achieving sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation by decentralizing authority and responsibility for resource management. The trend to decentralize is driven by a range of factors, including efforts to reduce central bureaucracies and cut budgets, a history of government forest management failures, increased economic liberalization and market orientation, and growing commitment to more equitable forest management. While the decentralization trends are very promising, many programs have encountered major challenges, disappointments and setbacks. To explore the issues and challenges facing various decentralization and devolution initiatives, the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, the Regional Community Forestry Training Center and the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources/Forest Management Bureau jointly organized an International Seminar on Decentralization and Devolution of Forest Management in Asia and the Pacific in Davao, Philippines, in December 1998. This publication is based on the papers, discussions, and recommendations of the seminar.

The Code of Practice is a useful reference for foresters, policy makers and industry leaders. Rich in diagrams and sample documents, it provides guidance on important aspects of forest harvesting.

Asia-Pacific Forestry towards 2010: Report of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Sector Outlook Study

In January 1996, the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission initiated an outlook study for forestry with a time horizon of 2010. The study was coordinated by FAO and implemented in close partnership with governments and non-governmental organizations in the region. The study looked at the main external and sectorial developments in policies, programs and institutions that will affect the forestry sector, and the likely directions of the sector's evolution to the year 2010. The study begins with an assessment of the current status, trends and the main forces that are shaping those trends and then builds on this to explore future prospects. The main output of the study is a comprehensive, 240-page report. It describes the social and economic context in which the forestry sector in the region operates. It lays out the sector status and trends in demands placed on forests; forest resources and land use; trade; people and forests; policies and institutions: and it provides an outlook of the likely main developments in these spheres and the implications and choices these present. If you would like a complementary hard copy of the Comprehensive Report, please contact either Patrick Durst (Bangkok) or Qiang Ma (Rome).

A Table of Contents of the Report has been compiled with links to individual Chapters in Adobe Acrobat PDF files. A 34-page Executive Summary can be ordered from the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific or downloaded from the FAO Forestry website.