Dear Mr. Meza,

Thank you for your suggestions.

I agree that non-wood forest products are very important, for forest value and for livelihoods.  The challenge is measuring such different products and assigning monetary values to them (the only solution for any aggregated outcome).

I recently had the privilege of visiting Chile’s untouched temperate rain forests, so fully agree on the importance of public recreation and tourism.  There are challenges however, notably of multi-function forests which provide recreation and tourism alongside protection, biodiversity and even wood, as well as distinguishing “availability” for recreation from actual use for recreation, as measured for instance by visitor numbers (rarely available).  In the European context we have been wrestling with this dilemma for some time, with limited success, it must be said.

Thank you again

Kit Prins

Facilitator