Ce Code modèle régional d'exploitation forestière à faible impact est tout d'abord destiné à servir de document de référence aux pays d'Afrique tropicale qui appliquent ou tentent de mettre en oeuvre une gestion durable de leurs forêts denses humides.

The FAO model code of forest harvesting practice is intended primarily to promote harvesting practices that will improve standards of utilization, reduce environmental impacts, help ensure that forests are sustained for future generations and improve the economic and social contributions of forestry as a component of sustainable development.

These codes of forest practice provide sets of regulations and guidelines in forest operations and engineering, and are designed to help foresters in government agencies and forest enterprises select practices to be followed in carrying out forest management and utilisation operations.

Voluntary planted forest guidelines bring together principles that apply to planted forests grown to fulfill productive functions for provision of wood, fibre and non-wood forest products or protective functions for provision of environmental and/or social services. They cover all aspects of planted forests, from policy development and planning, through technical considerations of plantation management and supply chain links to marketing, industry and trade. These guidelines are non-legally binding in nature and were developed to link international, national and local enabling environments. They have been tailored for policy, planning and management decision makers in the Government, private sector or non-governmental organizations to balance the social, cultural, environmental and economic dimensions of planted forest management and to increase their contributions towards sustainable livelihoods and land use.

This code provides minimum guidelines for forest harvesting activities consistent with the principles of sustainable forest management. It is designed to balance commercial considerations with protection of environmental and social values in Asia-Pacific region.

This code is intended to regulate and allow production forests to be harvested with minimal adverse impact on the forest environment. It has been scheduled for 2006 and it will cover South America region (countries with moist tropical natural forests).

These guidelines focus mainly on the criterion of maintaining the productive functions of the forest, and more specifically on the production of wood and non-wood products, provide practical advice on how to plan and manage tropical forests for the sustainable production of wood in practice at an operational level.

This report examines the full range of costs and benefits associated with forests, distinguishing between how these should, and actually are, included in economic analyses.

This guide has been developed for forest practioners and managers. It provides general principles for forest road engineering in particular on mountainous parts of the world.