The implementation of sustainable forest management (SFM) is an ongoing challenge worldwide, due largely to limited capacity and a lack of enabling conditions. Another hurdle is the inaccessibility (or a lack of awareness) of the considerable body of existing knowledge on, and experiences in, the implementation of SFM. To help overcome this latter problem, FAO is developing the SFM Toolbox. The SFM Toolbox is a new, comprehensive package of tools, best practices and examples of their application. It will be a valuable resource for a wide range of users, especially public and private forest and land managers, as well as the staff of extension services and civil-society, non-governmental and private-sector organizations with roles in promoting SFM. The SFM Toolbox has been designed as a user-friendly, interactive web-based platform that can respond to the diverse needs of people interested in putting SFM into practice. It includes:

• Modules on SFM thematic areas, which draw on the extensive technical knowledge of experts in FAO Forestry and elsewhere. The modules comprise an overview, in-depth information, and links to related tools, case studies and other references.
• A database of SFM tools and case studies in an easy-to-access format.
• A discussion forum.

The SFM Toolbox brings together a wide range of guidelines, manuals, knowledge products, case studies and other tools produced by FAO and its partners in the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), as well as by other organizations and by member countries. The SFM Toolbox is global in scope, covers all kinds of forests, and is designed to be “scaled up”: increasingly it will include tools that are specific to regions, countries and landscapes.