Sustainable forest management (SFM) can be viewed as the sustainable use and conservation of forests with the aim of maintaining and enhancing multiple forest values through human interventions. People are at the centre of SFM because it aims to contribute to society's diverse needs in perpetuity.

The United Nations describes SFM as:

“[a] dynamic and evolving concept [that] aims to maintain and enhance the economic, social and environmental values of all types of forests, for the benefit of present and future generations”.

This description makes it clear that SFM will change over time but that its purpose is, at a minimum, to maintain all forest values in perpetuity. SFM is a multidimensional concept because it incorporates the four pillars of sustainability - economic, social, cultural and environmental. 

FAO supports SFM implementation worldwide. For further information click here.