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Forests are considered crucial assets for sustainable rural development, and contemporary forestry is an industry where production, environmental and social goals can—and should—be handled simultaneously. Swedish family forest owners (FFOs) are expected to both manage and conserve their forests for the benefit of the whole country, but there are contradictions between development and conservation and between traditional and alternative forms of utilization representing dilemmas in rural areas. Tensions between urban and rural areas, between demands on what to produce and protect, are often linked to the FFOs’ views on opportunities for forest management. The aim of this study is to identify and analyse the extent to which FFOs perceive that social values have the ability to generate “new” goods and services as a supplement or alternative to traditional forestry, and to suggest how the forests might be managed to render high social values. Fifty-seven interviews were conducted with FFOs (both resident and non-resident). The results indicate that regardless of where they reside, FFOs have a multifunctional view of their forests and forest management, that the social values attached to forests can play an important role in development of local recreation- and forest-based tourism activities, and in this respect they can enhance sustainable rural development. It is, however, not obvious who might start and develop these businesses, since there seems to be a lack of interest among the FFOs themselves.

Mixed-species systems are well-suited to smallholder and community forestry, but reliable evidence regarding and procedures to assess species performance in such systems is scarce. This field trial uses a pair of clinal plots with varying spacing and species composition to gain insights into competition between four species proposed for landscape rehabilitation in the Philippines. We examine the efficiency of this compact clinal trial in revealing growth traits of four species (Paraserianthes falcataria, Pterocarpus indicus, Shorea palosapis, Swietenia macrophylla) in mixed plantings. The use of a size-distance competition index allowed an assessment of the competitive and collaborative influences between four tree species. Within the expected general trend for diameter increment to decline with increasing competition, there were indications that Shorea palosapis is a benign competitor that may stimulate the growth of neighbouring individuals. Paraserianthes falcataria is a strong competitor that is also strongly impacted by competition, especially through antagonistic intraspecific competition. Paraserianthes falcataria appears well suited as a solitary tree in a field or village, whereas Shorea palosapis seems ideal for plantations, in both monoculture and mixed plantings. The clinal spacing and mixture trial, when examined using a size-distance competition index based on diameter increment, revealed useful insights into species performance. Pterocarpus indicus exhibits strong intraspecific, but low inter-specific competition, so appears well-suited for polyculture plantings. Of the four species trialled, Swietenia macrophylla appears to be best-suited as a monoculture species as it exhibits the lowest intraspecific competition.

Forest certification for community-based forest management was designed to strengthen an area’s forestry functions while simultaneously alleviating poverty by developing the existing community forest. It is fundamental for forest certification to maintain the economic benefits for certified local sellers and balance conservation goals with increasing local incomes. This study explores how FSC certification of a community-based forest enterprise in Southeast Sulawesi in Indonesia could improve effectively field situations of community forest management and strengthen local peoples’ financial benefits and social perceptions towards conserving forests. FSC group certification was introduced in the area of teak community forest of several villages in 2005. Because of local strong interest in group certification, the size of certified forests, the number of group certification members and the amount of certified wood harvested gradually increased. The support of a local NGO and an international NGO contributed towards successful establishment of group certification and establishment of a small-scale forestry enterprise producing certified wood in a sustainable manner. These NGOs played important roles in establishing strong relationships between producers and consumers, strengthening local forest management institutions, and promising social and economic benefits to the local people.

Decentralised forest management is believed to hold potential for increased economic and social equity. Implications of the associated local forest law enforcement on livelihoods, however, are not well understood. This paper explores the impacts of local forest law enforcement with a focus on the poorest forest users in community-managed forests. A case study including 14 community forest groups in western Nepal was conducted in 2008. Methods included review of archival data, a stakeholder survey (n = 211), and recall of forest crimes by a random household sample (n = 252). Local forest law enforcement was found to detect far more crimes than district-level enforcement. Crimes are primarily small-scale unauthorised appropriation of products for subsistence use by poorer households and rules are lightly enforced. It is argued that local law enforcement, while apparently not economically harmful to the poorer in the short term, may be used to perpetuate existing wealth and cast-based social inequities.

Eucalypt (Eucalyptus spp.) tree farming is a source of income for many smallholders in developing and emerging countries and critical to the resource supply of many pulp and paper companies. These companies rely on smallholders adopting tree farming, sometimes by offering a contract. This paper reports a study from four regions of Thailand, where smallholder eucalypt tree farming is practiced, which investigated the financial performance of contract eucalypt tree farming for smallholders. A total of 82 contract eucalypt tree farmers and 81 independent tree farmers were systematically selected and surveyed in these regions, using door-to-door personal interviews. Focus groups and key informant interviews were also used to gain in-depth understanding of the issues. An investment appraisal analysis was used to determine and evaluate comparative financial returns from various cutting cycle periods, through computation of the net present value (NPV). There was no evidence that contracts increase the NPV of tree growing. It could be that tree growers entered into a contractual agreement with the expectation of higher benefits and the importance of this expectation diminishes as the crop matures, and tree farmers appreciate the strong market for eucalypt wood in Thailand. Contracts do not increase inequalities in terms of income but they might increase inequalities in terms of knowledge, because farmers with more land have better access to new knowledge provided by the contracting company.

The paper reviews tree seed and seedling supply systems in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America. Across these regions, the review found that some of the germplasm supply systems do not efficiently meet farmers’ demands and environmental expectations in terms of productivity, species and genetic diversity. In some countries, germplasm used is mostly sourced from undocumented sources and often untested. Germplasm quality control systems are only found in a few countries. Appreciation of the value of tree germplasm of high genetic quality is low. Non-government organisations (NGOs) in many African countries play a prominent role in the supply of germplasm which is usually given to farmers without charge. The practice of giving farmers free germplasm by NGOs in many African countries and also government participation in germplasm supply in some Asian countries has been blamed for crowding out private entrepreneurs, although this is not substantiated by any evidence to suggest that the smallholder farmers are willing and able to pay for the germplasm. In some Latin American countries, private companies, government and NGOs provide farmers tree germplasm in a partnership in which farmers provide land and labour in return. Overall, tree germplasm markets are large in Asia, due in part to large afforestation programs, intermediate in Latin America and small in Africa where smallholder farmers constitute the market. In countries where germplasm quality control is practiced, it is either through a legal framework or voluntary. A few countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America have developed protocols for certification of tree seeds based on the OECD. Some germplasm suppliers use branding as a way of differentiating their germplasm as having superior quality. To enhance the use of high quality germplasm, there is a need to demonstrate the value of using such germplasm and raise awareness of germplasm quality among the farmers and policy-makers.

Indonesia has been the world’s largest producer and exporter of palm oil since 2008. This paper discussed the livelihood impacts of oil palm development in Indonesia, based on lessons learnt from Bungo district, in the province of Jambi. The various community-company partnerships that structure the sector are reviewed and the difficulties raised by the joint ventures schemes are discussed. The merits and drawbacks of oil palm as a smallholder crop are then analysed, based on household socio-economic surveys conducted in 2007–2010. The main causes of conflicts between oil palm companies and communities are unclear land tenure, and a recurrent lack of leadership in smallholders’ cooperatives. Under fair partnerships between smallholders and companies, oil palm could become a smallholder friendly crop. The land-use profitability analysis demonstrates the high returns that can be generated by oil palm independent smallholdings, making it highly competitive with rubber, and much more profitable than rice production.

Forest-related activities are important as the economic and social drivers for local residents in Okinawa Island. Therefore, strategic timber management planning is a prerequisite to achieve a sustainable timber yield and optimize forest resource utilization. In this study, the practicability of the Timber Harvest Simulation Model (HARVEST) developed by Eric Gustafson from USDA was tested with the aim of assessing the spatial pattern consequence of timber management plans in the subtropical Yambaru Forest of Okinawa Island. HARVEST evaluates options for timber harvesting by providing comparable predictions of age effect, forest spatial distribution and forest edge habitat, as well as patch structure in a targeted forest type and management area. The timber harvest simulation in 2.1 % of the Yambaru timber production areas was investigated using two alternative cutting methods (clustered and dispersed). It was found that small-area clear-cut harvesting, mimicked by a clustered method, was the practical harvesting practice in Yambaru with an estimated timber volume 12 % higher than that from the selective-logging mimicked by the dispersed method. The mean patch size of the harvested area and forest edge habitat were significantly correlated with timber harvesting method. In spite of some limitations quantified in the model, information generated from HARVEST model was applicable and practical for many forest stakeholders and effective for time-and-cost consideration.

Hoạt động như những kỹ sư sinh thái, sự gia tăng phân bố và mật độ của lợn rừng (Sus scrofa) đã gây ra nhiều tác động kinh tế - xã hội đáng kể. Phạm vi nghiên cứu kinh tế quốc tế cung cấp ước lượng thiệt hại do lợn rừng thường chỉ hạn chế trong các vụ mùa nông nghiệp, trong khi các ước lượng thiệt hại trong các đồn điền rừng còn thiếu. Tại Alabama, các chủ đất tư nhân chiếm phần lớn diện tích rừng trồng và ít có khả năng để chịu đựng những tổn thất tài chính từ thiệt hại do lợn rừng gây ra hơn so với các đối tác công nghiệp. Một cuộc khảo sát đã được thực hiện để ước tính tác động kinh tế của lợn rừng, cụ thể là chi phí thiệt hại và kiểm soát, đối với các khu rừng sở hữu tư nhân. Cuộc khảo sát được phát phân vào mùa hè năm 2016 cho một mẫu 1160 chủ đất tư nhân trên toàn bang. Đã đạt được tỷ lệ phản hồi 35% từ nhóm mẫu. Kết quả khảo sát cho thấy từ năm 2013 đến năm 2015, thông xanh (Pinus palustris) và thông lá kim (Pinus taeda) là hai loài duy nhất bị tổn hại bởi lợn rừng. Lợn rừng đã gây thiệt hại cho 34% và 13% diện tích rừng trong các đồn điền thông xanh và thông lá kim, tương ứng. Về chi phí, việc trồng lại các diện tích thông xanh bị thiệt hại tốn khoảng 50,40 đô la mỗi mẫu, gấp đôi so với thông lá kim. Kết quả khảo sát cho thấy rằng nửa phía nam của Alabama có mật độ lợn rừng lớn nhất và bị thiệt hại nhiều nhất đối với các khu rừng. Do đó, các chủ đất trong khu vực này đã đầu tư nhiều vốn vào các phương pháp kiểm soát, trong đó chi phí trung bình cho mỗi phương pháp kiểm soát dao động từ 12 đến 2750 đô la. Thêm vào đó, các chủ đất không có lợn rừng trên tài sản của họ sẵn sàng trả nhiều hơn khoảng 14 đô la mỗi mẫu cho việc triệt tiêu so với những người có lợn rừng. Chúng tôi hy vọng những phát hiện từ khảo sát này sẽ cung cấp cái nhìn rõ hơn về tác động kinh tế của lợn rừng trong các đồn điền rừng non.

Providing economic incentives to landholders is an effective way of promoting sustainable forest management, conservation and restoration. In Hawaii, the main native hardwood species with commercial value is Acacia koa (koa), but lack of successful examples of koa plantation forestry hinders private investment. Financial models, which have been offered to encourage investment, assume that a particular minimum volume of merchantable wood will be harvested at rotation age. No studies have been done to determine the appropriateness of the assumed volumes for koa plantations. Three 18- to 28-year-old koa plantations were studied to determine butt-log size, crown class and crop tree potential. Estimates of present and future merchantable sawtimber volume were made for each plantation. Results indicate that most existing plantation koa trees fork so close to the ground that they will produce little to no merchantable wood. Projected sawtimber yields from crop trees in these plantations at age 45 years are 10, 15 and 90 m3/ha, which are below the 135 m3/ha yield used in the most recent financial analysis of returns on investment in koa forestry. Relaxing the crop tree criteria gives higher volume yields, but two plantations still fall short of the assumed target yield by 43 and 52%. Given such shortfalls, returns on investment will be less than predicted by the financial analysis. Nevertheless, government offered financial incentives should compensate for lower volume yields and thus promote private investment in koa plantation forestry. Insect herbivory, genetic diversity, and low stand density contribute to poor stem form of plantation koa, and research is needed to quantify the relative importance of and interactions between these factors.