Rome, 2004
The Forest Resources Assessment Programme
Forests are crucial for the well being of humanity. They provide foundations for life on earth through ecological functions, by regulating the climate and water resources and by serving as habitats for plants and animals. Forests also furnish a wide range of essential goods such as wood, food, fodder and medicines, in addition to opportunities for recreation, spiritual renewal and other services.
Today, forests are under pressure from increasing demands of land-based products and services, which frequently leads to the conversion or degradation of forests into unsustainable forms of land use. When forests are lost or severely degraded, their capacity to function as regulators of the environment is also lost, increasing flood and erosion hazards, reducing soil fertility and contributing to the loss of plant and animal life. As a result, the sustainable provision of goods and services from forests is jeopardized.
FAO, at the request of the member nations and the world community, regularly monitors the world’s forests through the Forest Resources Assessment Programme. The Global Forest Resources Assessment 2000 (FRA 2000) reviewed the forest situation by the end of the millennium. FRA 2000 included country-level information based on existing forest inventory data, regional investigations of land-cover change processes and a number of global studies focusing on the interaction between people and forests. The FRA 2000 Main report is published in print and is available on the World Wide Web.
The Global Forest Resources Assessment update 2005 (FRA 2005) has been requested by the FAO Committee on Forestry in 2003. The FRA 2005 will use common thematic areas of the Criteria for Sustainable Forest Management as a reporting framework. FRA 2005 will also focus on the specific conditions and issues in each country.
The Forest Resources Assessment Programme is organized under the Forest Resources Division (FOR) at FAO headquarters in Rome. Contact person is:
Peter Holmgren, Chief FORM [email protected]
or use the e-mail address: [email protected]
The Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) Working Paper Series is designed to reflect the activities and progress of the FRA Programme of FAO. Working Papers are not authoritative information sources – they do not reflect the official position of FAO and should not be used for official purposes. Please refer to the FAO forestry website (www.fao.org/forestry) for access to official information.
The FRA Working Paper Series provides an important forum for the rapid release of preliminary findings needed for validation and to facilitate the final development of official quality-controlled publications. Should users find any errors in the documents or have comments for improving their quality they should contact [email protected].
1
Introduction
1.1 Background to FRA 2005
1.2 Purpose of this report
2 Scope of Country Reporting to FRA 2005
3 Methodology for country
reporting to FRA 2005
3.1 The process
3.2 Step one – Identification and selection of national data sources
3.3 Step two – Analysis of National data
3.4 Step three – Reclassification of data
4 Guidelines for preparation of
the National Reporting Tables
4.1 General aspects
4.2 How to report when data are weak or missing
4.3 Table T1 – Extent of Forest and Other wooded land
4.4 Table T2 – Ownership of Forest and Other wooded land
4.5 Table T3 – Designated functions of Forest and Other wooded land
4.6 Table T4 – Characteristics of Forest and Other wooded land
4.7 Table T5 – Growing stock
4.8 Table T6 – Biomass stock
4.9 Table T7 – Carbon stock
4.10 Table T8 - Disturbances affecting health and vitality
4.11 Table T9 – Diversity of tree species
4.12 Table T10 – Growing stock composition
4.13 Table T11 – Wood removal
4.14 Table T12 – Value of wood removal
4.15 Table T13 – Non-wood forest products removal
4.16 Table T14 – Value of non-wood forest products removal
4.17 Table T15 – Employment in forestry activities
5 Guidelines for preparation of country reports on thematic areas
7 Contact information for technical support
AppendicesAppendix 1 – Complete example of country reporting for table T1
Appendix 2 - List of UN official Country Areas
Appendix 3 – Roundwood production officially reported to FAO
Table 3-1 - Production of industrial roundwood - m3 under bark
Table 3-2 - Wood fuel production - m3 under bark
Apéndice 4. Datos históricos de tipos de cambio (Fuente: IMF)
Appendix 5 – Conversion factors for volume, biomass and
carbon
Table 5.1. General weight and volume conversion factors
Table 5.2 Basic wood densities of stemwood (tonnes dry matter/m3 fresh volume) for boreal and temperate species
Table 5-3 - Basic wood densities (D) of stemwood (tonnes dry matter/m3 fresh volume) for tropical tree species
Table 5.4 Default values of biomass expansion factors (BEFs)
Table 5.5Average belowground to aboveground biomass ratio (root-shoot ratio, R) in natural regeneration by broad category (tonnes dry matter/tonne dry matter)
Table 5.6Updated defaults of dead wood stocks, and Dead-Live ratios
Table 5.7 Default values for litter carbon stocks of mature forests (tonnes C ha-1)
Table 5.8 Default reference (under native vegetation) soil organic C stocks (SOCRef) (tonnes C per ha for 0-30 cm depth)
