Fwd: IUFRO Spotlight #60 - Creating a virtuous circle in forest operations
by Sheila Ward
Dear IUFRO Meliaceae Working party:
Below is IUFRO Spotlight #60. Other Spotlights can be found at:
http://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/
Regards,
Sheila Ward
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: IUFRO Headquarters <office(a)iufro.org>
Date: Thu, Jul 19, 2018 at 1:52 AM
Subject: IUFRO Spotlight #60 - Creating a virtuous circle in forest
operations
To: Dear Reader of IUFRO News <mahoganyforthefuture(a)gmail.com>
[image: IUFRO Spotlight]
IUFRO Spotlight #60 - Creating a virtuous circle in forest operations
*IUFRO Spotlight* is an initiative of the International Union of Forest
Research Organizations. Its aim is to introduce, in a timely fashion,
significant findings in forest research from IUFRO officeholders and member
organizations to a worldwide network of decision makers, policy makers and
researchers.
IUFRO will encapsulate, and distribute in plain language, brief, topical
and policy-relevant highlights of those findings, along with information on
where/how to access the full documents. The *IUFRO Spotlight* findings will
be distributed in a periodic series of emails as well as blog postings.
*________________________________*
*Creating a virtuous circle in forest operations*
PDF for download
<https://www.iufro.org/download/file/29116/6670/spotlight60-sustainable-fore…>
<http://www.iufro.org/index.php?eID=tx_cms_showpic&file=19542&md5=c2766908d9…>
*The complex system of relationships involved in the SFO concept and its
five performance areas including: Economics; ergonomics; environment;
quality optimization; and people and society. (Credit: Enrico Marchi,
Florence University, Italy)*
A newly published study entitled Sustainable Forest Operations (SFO): A new
paradigm in a changing world and climate, indicates that "climate change,
as well as the increasing demand for forest products, requires a rethinking
of forest operations in terms of sustainability."
The study suggests that the SFO concept provides integrated perspectives
and approaches to effectively address ongoing and foreseeable challenges
while balancing forest operations performance across economic,
environmental and social sustainability objectives.
This new concept emphasizes that forest workers' ergonomics, health and
safety, and utilization efficiency and waste management are additional key
elements that enrich the understanding of the sustainability in SFO.
In addition, through the promotion of afforestation and reforestation,
improved forest management, and green building and furnishing, the SFO
concept further emphasizes the role of wood as a renewable and
environmentally friendly material.
"It is important," the paper notes, "to understand the major driving
factors for the future development of forest operations that promote
economic, environmental and social well-being.'
The paper identifies five challenging areas to be addressed through SFO:
- More wood removal from less available forest landbases;
- Promoting wood as a renewable and ecologically friendly raw material;
- Improving forest operations under climate change;
- Minimizing the ecological effects of harvesting; and
- Improving safety and ergonomics for forest operators.
"The innovation behind this new paradigm of SFO is the integrated approach
to forest operations," said Prof Enrico Marchi, of the Department of
Agriculture, Food and Forestry Systems at the University of Florence,
Italy, and one of the study's authors. "It aims at reconciling bio-economy,
environmental ecology, human factors and society and different scale
levels.
"In this context," he continued, "it is important to highlight that, there
is not only one type of sustainable forest operation; it is not an
"absolute" concept. Different solutions may be adopted, taking into
consideration socio-economic and environmental conditions."
The five key, interrelated, performance areas necessary to ensure the
sustainability of forest operations – environment; ergonomics; economics;
quality optimization of products and production; and people and society –
"are quite obvious, if you consider them singularly. The real challenge is
to find a balance among the performance areas, addressing each of them
without negatively affecting the others," said Prof. Marchi.
"It is workable around the world. Each country, depending on its own
socio-economic condition, legislation, needs and management objectives,
could apply the principles of SFO to find the best way for them to address
the sustainable development approach in forest operations," he said.
"SFO needs policies able to guarantee the continuity of forests in the
future that protect the environment and the included complex dynamics
without compromising the profitability of forest operations."
"Actually, good policies should be applied in order to decrease costs for
forest enterprises, because more profitable activity means a higher
capacity for businesses to invest in safer machines, healthier equipment
and low-impact operations," said Prof. Marchi.
"Everyone with a stake in wood production, environmental protection,
forest-related tourism, forest workers associations, etc., will benefit
from SFO. But, in the end, forests are a benefit to everyone. So a correct
implementation of SFO principles will, in the long run, benefit everyone,"
he said.
As to how SFO would provide benefits, he noted: "Taking into account the
five performance areas cited in the text, it is important to create a
virtuous circle in forest operations."
"For example, if a forest enterprise realizes an improvement in work
organization or improving the average quality of material extracted, it
will have higher income. A part of that income could then be invested in
safety improvements for the forest workers, or new machines with better
performances and potentially fewer impacts on the environment."
"Those improvements," he continued, "could also have positive effects on
other aspects of SFO, since they are all related to each other – and that
is largely explained in the manuscript."
The main takeaway from the paper for policy-makers, according to Dr. Marchi
is that "forest harvesting is not just cutting trees to build houses or
furniture or to provide heat."
"Forest operation is the final step in a complex process called forest
management that allows one to obtain ecosystem services from the forest,
including one of the most important renewable raw materials – wood."
"If we want to develop sustainable forest management," he concluded, "we
need sustainable forest operation."
*The full paper can be found at*:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969718312488
*Prof Enrico Marchi is a member of the IUFRO Task Force on Climate Change
and Forest Health*:
https://www.iufro.org/science/task-forces/climate-change-forest-health/
<http://www.iufro.org/science/task-forces/climate-change-forest-health/>
*________________________________*
The findings reported in *IUFRO Spotlight* are submitted by IUFRO
officeholders and member organizations. IUFRO is pleased to highlight and
circulate these findings to a broad audience but, in doing so, acts only as
a conduit. The quality and accuracy of the reports are the responsibility
of the member organization and the authors.
Suggestions for reports and findings that could be promoted through *IUFRO
Spotlight* are encouraged. To be considered, reports should be fresh, have
policy implications and be applicable to more than one country. If you
would like to have a publication highlighted by Spotlight, contact: Gerda
Wolfrum, wolfrum(at)iufro.org <wolfrum(a)iufro.org>.
The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) is the
only worldwide organization devoted to forest research and related
sciences. Its members are research institutions, universities, and
individual scientists as well as decision-making authorities and other
stakeholders with a focus on forests and trees.
Visit: https://www.iufro.org/
*________________________________*
*IUFRO Spotlight #60, published in July 2018*
*by IUFRO Headquarters, Marxergasse 2, 1030 Vienna, Austria.Available for
download at: **https://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/
<https://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/>*
*Contact the editor at office(at)iufro.org <office(a)iufro.org> or visit
https://www.iufro.org/ <https://www.iufro.org/>If you wish to unsubsribe
from **IUFRO Spotlight publications, please send us a short note by e-mail
(burger(at)iufro.org <burger(a)iufro.org>).*
*Imprint: https://www.iufro.org/legal/#c18944
<https://www.iufro.org/legal/#c18944>*
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Fwd: IUFRO Spotlight #62 - How and why criteria and indicators have changed forest management since the Rio Summit
by Sheila Ward
Dear IUFRO Meliaceae Working party:
Below is IUFRO Spotlight #62. Other Spotlights can be found at:
http://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/
Regards,
Sheila Ward
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: IUFRO Headquarters <office(a)iufro.org>
Date: Wed, Nov 14, 2018 at 12:03 PM
Subject: IUFRO Spotlight #62 - How and why criteria and indicators have
changed forest management since the Rio Summit
To: Dear IUFRO Officeholder <mahoganyforthefuture(a)gmail.com>
[image: IUFRO Spotlight]
IUFRO Spotlight #62 - How and why criteria and indicators have changed
forest management since the Rio Summit
*IUFRO Spotlight* is an initiative of the International Union of Forest
Research Organizations. Its aim is to introduce, in a timely fashion,
significant findings in forest research from IUFRO officeholders and member
organizations to a worldwide network of decision makers, policy makers and
researchers.
IUFRO will encapsulate, and distribute in plain language, brief, topical
and policy-relevant highlights of those findings, along with information on
where/how to access the full documents. The *IUFRO Spotlight* findings will
be distributed in a periodic series of emails as well as blog postings.
*________________________________*
*How and why criteria and indicators have changed forest management since
the Rio Summit*
PDF for download
<https://www.iufro.org/download/file/29907/6723/spotlight62-criteria-indicat…>
*Regeneration is also covered by indicators for SFM. Photo: S. Linser. *
Sparked in part by the Rio Earth Summit of 1992, the use of criteria and
indicators (C&I) for sustainable forest management (SFM) has become an ever
more present aspect of forest management.
Since that '92 summit, "the focus of academic attention has been mainly on
global forest governance with a research gap regarding regional (or
international) forest related processes," said Dr. Stefanie Linser of the
European Forest Institute, who is also co-ordinator of IUFRO Working Party
9.01.05 on research and development of indicators for SFM.
"They are increasingly important nowadays, in light of the UN Sustainable
Development Goals and emerging global challenges," she said.
C&I are defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN as: "… a
framework that characterizes the essential components of SFM, and
recognise(s) forests as ecosystems that provide a wide range of
environmental, economic and social benefits to society. The overall aim of
criteria and indicators is to promote more sustainable forest management
practices, taking into consideration the social, economic, environmental,
cultural and spiritual needs of different stakeholders."
Thirteen experts from Dr. Linser's IUFRO Working Party have researched the
use and the usefulness of C&I in the quarter-century following the ‘92
summit and have jointly put together two publications covering all C&I
processes and regions worldwide.
In one paper, they look at "how" the C&I processes have made a difference.
In the other they look at "why" some C&I processes have flourished and
others have faded.
Their conclusion is that the 25 years of C&I work in forestry has had
significant positive impacts, though challenges do remain.
In the "how" publication the authors point to six areas where positive
impacts are easily seen:
- Enhanced discourse and understanding of SFM;
- Helped to shape and focus the engagement of science in SFM;
- Improved monitoring and reporting of SFM, which facilitates
transparency and evidence-based decision making;
- Strengthened forest management practices;
- Initiated assessment of progress toward SFM goals; and
- Improved forest-related dialog and communication.
"For forest managers, C&I are a feasible tool for generating understandable
and reliable information on progress towards sustainable forest
management," said Dr. Linser.
"They increase transparency of decision-making, and demonstrate compliance
with different standards or goals. They also allow policy makers to obtain
easily comprehensible evidence of the effectiveness of policy measures,"
she said.
However, she went on to say, "There is a wide variation in the quality of
adaptation of the regional or international C&I sets onto the national
level, and hence in SFM monitoring and reporting."
Going forward, she believes that political will and respective strategies
to further promote C&I are crucial. "If those are missing, it leads to
insufficient funding, low data availability, a lack of trained personnel
and expertise, a lack of effective promotion and little or no inclusion
into policy/decision-making processes."
The "why" publication notes that there has been an unevenness in the
application across countries. "Lagging funds, capacities and political
support can be a major obstacle for C&I implementation with consequences on
the knowledge base and the state of SFM," Dr. Linser said.
"Another issue is that C&I are often very top-down in their design and
development. This can create challenges when it comes to implementation on
the ground. One finding is that rural communities are marginalized by the
origin and design of the C&I as they are reflected in state-determined
forest management plans.
"To remedy that, there is a need for active national participation based on
commitment, true stewardship, funding and capacity building," she added.
"If you are a policy maker, C&I for SFM constitute a powerful policy tool
for collecting and synthesizing understandable information – from the
global to the local level – to facilitate decision-making processes on the
state of forests and forestry, and on progress towards sustainable forest
management."
The bottom line, said Dr. Linser, is that "C&I require constant review and
the procedural power to respond to emerging trends, and questions that
arise from policy debate and public concerns. Hence, C&I are not a static
instrument, but a dynamic tool to grasp all relevant forest information.
Coordination and sufficient funding of all related activities as well as
true stewardship and commitment of all related stakeholders are essential
in this respect."
*The publications can be found at*:
https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-9/90000/90100/90105/
<http://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-9/90000/90100/90105/>
*25 Years of Criteria and Indicators for SFM: Why some intergovernmental
C&I Processes flourished while others faded*
http://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/9/9/515
*25 Years of Criteria and Indicators for SFM: How intergovernmental C&I
Processes have made a difference*
http://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/9/9/578
*________________________________*
The findings reported in *IUFRO Spotlight* are submitted by IUFRO
officeholders and member organizations. IUFRO is pleased to highlight and
circulate these findings to a broad audience but, in doing so, acts only as
a conduit. The quality and accuracy of the reports are the responsibility
of the member organization and the authors.
Suggestions for reports and findings that could be promoted through *IUFRO
Spotlight* are encouraged. To be considered, reports should be fresh, have
policy implications and be applicable to more than one country. If you
would like to have a publication highlighted by Spotlight, contact: Gerda
Wolfrum, wolfrum(at)iufro.org <wolfrum(a)iufro.org>.
The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) is the
only worldwide organization devoted to forest research and related
sciences. Its members are research institutions, universities, and
individual scientists as well as decision-making authorities and other
stakeholders with a focus on forests and trees.
Visit: https://www.iufro.org/
*________________________________*
*IUFRO Spotlight #62, published in November 2018*
*by IUFRO Headquarters, Marxergasse 2, 1030 Vienna, Austria.Available for
download at: **https://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/
<https://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/>*
*Contact the editor at office(at)iufro.org <office(a)iufro.org> or visit
https://www.iufro.org/ <https://www.iufro.org/>If you wish to unsubsribe
from **IUFRO Spotlight publications, please send us a short note by e-mail
(burger(at)iufro.org <burger(a)iufro.org>).*
*Imprint: https://www.iufro.org/legal/#c18944
<https://www.iufro.org/legal/#c18944>*
6 years, 1 month
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Fwd: IUFRO NEWS 10/11, 2018
by Sheila Ward
Dear Meliaceae Working party:
Below is the IUFRO Issue 10/11 2018 newsletter. Past editions of the newsletter
can be found at: https://www.iufro.org/publications/news/electronic-news/
Sheila Ward
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: IUFRO Headquarters <office(a)iufro.org>
Date: Tue, Nov 6, 2018 at 11:59 AM
Subject: IUFRO NEWS 10/11, 2018
To: Dear IUFRO Officeholder <mahoganyforthefuture(a)gmail.com>
[image: IUFRO News]
Double Issue 10/11, 2018
IUFRO NEWS 10/11, 2018
Dear IUFRO Officeholder:
We are happy to present to you double issue 10/11 of IUFRO News 2018,
volume 47. The newsletter is also available for download as a PDF or Word
file at: https://www.iufro.org/publications/news/electronic-news/.
You are welcome to pass on this newsletter to your colleagues!
To find out more about IUFRO, just visit <https://www.iufro.org/>
www.iufro.org and follow our blog http://blog.iufro.org/, Twitter: @iufro
<http://twitter.com/IUFRO> and IUFRO Facebook entries
<https://www.facebook.com/iufro>.
Enjoy the read!
Alexander Buck
*IUFRO Executive Director *
*XXV IUFRO World Congress, Curitiba, Brazil, 29 Sep-5 Oct 2019: Call for
Abstracts open until 31 December 2018*:
http://iufro2019.com/abstracts-submission/
*IUFRO News is widely distributed among IUFRO Members, officeholders and
other interested groups. If you would like to publish in IUFRO News,
contribute to the IUFRO website content or promote a publication via IUFRO
Spotlight, do not hesitate to contact us at IUFRO Headquarters:
office(a)iufro.org <office(a)iufro.org> *
*Forest Landscapes in Times of Changing Climate and Water Resources*
There is still a critical lack of information and expertise for the
successful implementation of Adaptive Measures, scientists conclude at the
joint workshop of the IUFRO Task Forces "Forest Adaptation and Restoration
under Global Change" and "Forests, Soil and Water Interactions" Corvallis,
U.S.A. *More* <http://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=6720#c28068>…
*New Frontiers in Forecasting Forests *
The ability to accurately predict future forest growth and structure, and
the yields and quality of diverse products from these forests, is an
essential part of forest management. A meeting on "New Frontiers in
Forecasting Forests (NFFF)" in Stellenbosch, South Africa, in September
discussed advances in models predicting future attributes of forests. *More*
<http://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=6720#c28067>…
*Community Involvement: The Key to Successful Adoption of New Education
Tools*
The 2018 meeting of IUFRO's Working Party on "Extension and Knowledge
Exchange" held in Christchurch, New Zealand, 9-13 September, placed the
focus on technology and how to increase adoption of such by stakeholders
and communities. *More* <http://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=6720#c28066>…
*A New Concept of Community Forestry*
The first International Conference on Technology for Sustainable
Development (ICTSD) 2018 in Yogyakarta-Indonesia in October included a
cluster on Forestry and Environment. There participants discussed the
current paradigm shift in community forestry from subsistence need to
commercial business. *More* <http://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=6720#c28065>…
*Vegetative Propagation of Trees for Complementing Seed-based Strategies*
The 5th International Conference of IUFRO's Working Party on "Somatic
embryogenesis and other vegetative propagation technologies" placed the
focus on "Clonal Trees in the Bioeconomy Age: Opportunities and
Challenges". The conference took place from 10-15 September 2018 in
Coimbra, Portugal. *More* <http://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=6720#c28064>…
*Managing Eucalyptus Plantations under Global Changes*
Eucalypt plantations cover approximately 25 million hectares worldwide and
are expanding rapidly. However, there is a need for the management of these
plantations to adapt to imminent changes. Against this background, a
conference on "Managing Eucalyptus Plantations under Global Changes" was
held in Montpellier, France. *More*
<http://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=6720#c28063>…
*African Forest Policies and Politics*
The first IUFRO conference on "African Forest Policies and Politics"
(AFORPOLIS conference 2018) was coordinated by the new IUFRO Working Party
on "African forest politics and governance" and the AFORPOLIS initiative.
It sought to advance cutting-edge knowledge on the emergence and evolution
of forestland governance. *More*
<http://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=6720#c28062>…
*Forest Science for a Sustainable Forestry and Human Wellbeing in a
Changing World*
In September the Marin Drăcea National Institute for Research and
Development in Forestry (INCDS), Romania, organized an International
Scientific Conference in Bucharest. Discussions focused mainly on
increasing the visibility of forest science in the global change research
policy. *More* <http://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=6720#c28071>…
*On Safeguarding Functional Beech Forest Ecosystems*
The 11th International Beech Symposium of IUFRO's Working Party on "Ecology
and silviculture of beech" was held at Tuscia University in Viterbo, Italy,
in September, under the theme of "Natural and Managed Beech Forests as
Reference Ecosystems for the Sustainable Management of Forest Resources and
the Conservation of Biodiversity". *More*
<http://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=6720#c28072>…
*5th Edition of PTF BPI Conference*
The 5th International Conference on Processing Technologies for the Forest
and Biobased Industries in Freising/Munich, Germany, addressed themes such
as cascading use of wood integrated in circular economy, implementation of
industry 4.0, data acquisition and lean management, nanotechnology and 3D
printing. *More* <http://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=6720#c28073>…
*Women as Agents of Change*
Gun Lidestav, Coordinator of IUFRO's Research Group on "Gender and
forestry", represented IUFRO at a High-Level Side Event of the 73rd Session
of the UN General Assembly on "Adapting to Climate Change – Empowering
women through sustainable management of natural resources". *More*
<http://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=6720#c28074>…
*Other Information*
Further Meetings <http://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=6720#c28075>
Announcements <http://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=6720#c28076>
Publications <http://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=6720#c28061>
Positions <http://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=6720#c28060>
Courses <http://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=6720#c28059>
IUFRO Meetings <http://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=6720#c28058>
Other Meetings <http://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=6720#c28057>
*IUFRO Website Features*
IUFRO Blog <http://blog.iufro.org/>
Noticeboard <https://www.iufro.org/discover/noticeboard/>
Proceedings Archive <https://www.iufro.org/?id=75>
Scientific Summaries <https://www.iufro.org/?id=79>
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______________________________________________
*IUFRO News Double Issue 10/11*
*, 2018, published in early November 2018by IUFRO Headquarters, Marxergasse
2, 1030 Vienna, Austria.Available for download
at: https://www.iufro.org/publications/news/electronic-news/
<https://www.iufro.org/publications/news/electronic-news/>Contact the
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