It’s going to take all of our efforts to get to a greener, more resilient future – and managing trees and forests sustainably is a key step along the way. But the language of sustainable forestry can be difficult to speak and understand, leaving many people out of critical global discussions. So, ahead of the June 2024 International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) World Congress, come with us on a quick tour of key terms in sustainable forestry – and get ready to join the conversation.
Agroforestry
Agroforestry is land use that combines trees with crops, trees with livestock, or trees with both crops and livestock, to create a system in which the components interact beneficially, improving agriculture in many ways: for example, by improving farm yields, increasing farm incomes, and contributing to soil and water conservation.
Biodiversity
Short for biological diversity, biodiversity refers to the variety of life in the natural world – including animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms – and the interactions between them, which are critical to maintain ecological balance and support life. Forests that have never been logged or otherwise significantly disturbed by humans often have particularly high levels of biodiversity, but it’s also important to monitor and support biodiversity in other kinds of landscapes, like on farms and in urban areas.
Bioeconomy
The bioeconomy refers to those parts of the economy that use renewable biological resources – such as crops, forests, fish, animals and microorganisms – to produce food, health, materials, products, textiles and energy. A key feature is that of byproducts re-entering the value chain to be incorporated in the production of higher-value goods and services.
The Future of Wood – towards circular bioeconomyBiotic/Abiotic threats
Our planet’s forests are subject to a range of threats. Biotic threats are the harmful effects of living organisms like pathogens, pests and weeds on plant growth, development, and productivity, which are particularly pressing as climate change prompts the introduction of invasive species to new landscapes. Abiotic threats are physical rather than biological in nature, and include things like storms, fires, droughts, and heatwaves – all of which are becoming more frequent and intense in many locations as the climate changes. While we can’t stop these events from happening, we can at least work to mitigate as much climatic change as possible – and make smart land-use decisions to build resilience on the ground.
Population dynamics of Hippophae rhamnoides shrub in response of sea-level rise and insect outbreaksCertification
Certification is a voluntary, market-based mechanism aimed at promoting sustainable forest management, whereby an independent third party inspects forest management and use practices to assess their compliance with a set of ecological, economic and social standards. Certification programmes provide a certain level of assurance to consumers that forest products come from responsibly managed forests – though it’s always worth looking into them as not all programmes are created equal, and good ones should be continually evolving alongside the latest sustainable forestry research.
Sustainability certification: multiple values of nature coexist in value chain transformations toward a common but differentiated responsibilityCommunity Forestry
Community forestry allows local people to directly manage the forests in which they live and upon which they rely for their livelihood and survival. It sounds simple, but creating the right conditions for this can be challenging: collective governance institutions, the role of multistakeholder processes and platforms in land-use decision making, investment pathways and devolution of natural resource rights all need to be considered.
Towards more inclusive community landscape governance: Drivers and assessment indicators in northern GhanaDendroecology
Dendroecology is the study of ecological and environmental changes depicted in tree rings. CIFOR-ICRAF’s Dendroecology Laboratory, for instance, looks at what trees, forests and forest-dependent communities have to say in order to address climate change issues and the effects of forest use and climate change on biodiversity and ecosystems.
Climate-growth relationships of Daniellia oliveri (Rolfe) Hutch. & Dalziel in the Sudanian zone of Mali, West AfricaEcosystem-based adaptation (EbA)
Ecosystem-based adaptation is a strategy for adapting to climate change that harnesses biodiversity, nature-based solutions and ecosystem services. For example, protecting coastal habitats like mangroves can shelter communities from sea-level rise and storm surges; reforestation can hold back desertification; and planting the right trees in the right places can reduce flood risks.
Ecosystem-based adaptation in agriculture: How agroecology can contribute to tackling climate changeForest genetic resources
The ability of farmers and forest dwellers to produce food and other goods and services depends on biodiversity in genes, species and ecosystems. Yet the world is experiencing an alarming and accelerating loss of biodiversity. Work on forest genetic resources aims to deliver the science needed to safeguard tree diversity, domesticate trees and deliver suitable tree planting material to growers – including for food, fodder, timber and medicinal plants.
Trees, tree genetic diversity and the livelihoods of rural communities in the tropicsGender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI)
GESI has become a critical consideration for people working in, on, and around forests. That’s because women, Indigenous people, and other marginalized groups are often particularly reliant on, and knowledgeable about, forests and tree-based landscapes, but remain under-represented in leadership roles and as beneficiaries of their resources.
Embedding inclusion in climate action: Lessons from the UK PACT Green Recovery Challenge Fund PortfolioNon-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs)
NTFPs are products such as fruits, nuts, honey and medicinal plants that can be collected from forests without removing trees. It’s estimated that 1.5 billion people around the world harvest them for their own use or to sell for income. Sustainable forestry approaches recognize the value of NTFPs, and seek to manage forests to support their sustainable harvest.
Non-timber forest product utilization under community forest management in northern ThailandPrecision forestry
Precision forestry refers to the use of advanced technologies – such as drones, laser scanning and soil sensors – to get a detailed and granular picture of a forest’s health and growth patterns, and then hone planning and management accordingly for better (eg. more sustainable, more productive, lower-input) results.
Drones, communities and nature: pitfalls and possibilities for conservation and territorial rightsPrimary forest
Primary forest refers to naturally regenerating forest of native tree species, where there are no clearly visible indications of human activities and the ecological processes are not significantly disturbed. This doesn’t mean no-one uses them – just that management and use are carefully controlled, with the long-term conservation of native vegetation and wildlife habitat in mind. They tend to have high biodiversity and carbon sequestration capacity, and provide critical ecosystem services. This year, leading environmental organizations from around the world, pledged to bolster protection of the planet’s remaining primary forests.
Asia-Pacific roadmap for primary forest conservationSelective logging
Selective logging is a method of harvesting in which selected trees are carefully harvested, leaving the majority of the forest intact and giving the remaining trees more space to grow. This requires careful site-specific monitoring and analysis to obtain the right balance between timber harvest, preservation, and other forest uses.
Mangrove selective logging sustains biomass carbon recovery, soil carbon, and sedimentSilviculture
Silviculture is the art and science of growing trees. This includes planting, thinning, and harvesting trees to achieve specific objectives. Sustainable silvicultural practices aim to mimic natural forest dynamics and promote healthy tree growth.
Intercropping short rotation timber species with teak: Enabling smallholder silviculture practicesSustainable forestry
Sustainable forestry involves balancing the needs of the environment, wildlife, and forest communities, to support economic and social needs while conserving forests for future generations.
Promoting sustainable forestry resource use and improved livelihoods in refugee settings: A CIFOR-ICRAF-UNHCR partnership to support communities affected by displacement in CameroonWe want you to share Forests News content, which is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This means you are free to redistribute our material for non-commercial purposes. All we ask is that you give Forests News appropriate credit and link to the original Forests News content, indicate if changes were made, and distribute your contributions under the same Creative Commons license. You must notify Forests News if you repost, reprint or reuse our materials by contacting forestsnews@cifor-icraf.org.