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Agroforestry has potential for strengthening the climate change resilience of smallholder farmers in Southeast Asia. In Indonesia, the food security challenges faced by smallholders will likely worsen due to climate change impacts. Agroforestry provides and option for strengthening climate change resilience, while contributing to food access, income, health, and environmental stability. To evaluate the evidence for such benefits, this systematic review identifies 22 peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2019 which assess agroforestry’s contributions to food security in Indonesia, mostly in Java or Sumatra. Analysis of the studies indicate that traditional and commercial agroforestry contribute to food security in diverse ways: for example, traditional homegardens offer 20% more dietary diversity than commercial counterparts, while commercial homegardens may contribute up to five times more income. Agri-silviculture contributions fall along a timber versus non-timber forest product continuum that displays a similar tradeoff between diversity and income. Those systems with a commercial focus may receive 54% of their income from a single commodity crop such as coffee, while traditional systems allow greater access to plants with medicinal benefits. Nearly all agroforestry systems offered indirect benefits for food security, such as allowing more off-farm work than traditional agriculture and contributing to environmental stability: users of agroforestry were found by one study to collect 83% less fuelwood from natural forests. One study highlighted that agroforestry options have up to 98% greater net present value (for periods over 30 years) compared to slash and burn style agriculture. However, very few studies of Indonesian agroforestry focused explicitly on financial analysis and food security, indicating the need for further research. Given the similar situations faced by many Southeast Asia countries, our findings contribute to emerging trends throughout the region regarding the relationship between agroforestry and food security.

Edible mycorrhizal fungi (EMF) have been consumed since ancestral times by humans either as food, medicine or for ceremonial use Nowadays, they are a non‐timber forest product and a diverse genetic resource with great ecological, sociocultural, economic, medicinal and biotechnological relevance around the world Therefore, they have a paramount role to play in meeting the United Nations global sustainable development goals 2030 EMF may promote forest sustainability, biodiversity conservation, mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions through the maintenance of forest masses, human nutrition and health, economic development, conservation of biocultural heritages, women empowerment and hunger mitigation We provide a worldwide review of the knowledge, biodiversity, novel approaches, future challenges and perspectives in the post‐COVID era of this important genetic resource whose relevance has usually received marginal attention despite its strategic global significance Ectomycorrhizal fungi play a key role in the structure and functioning of forest ecosystems They have a paramount importance in nutrient cycling, plant protection against pathogens and abiotic stress, and establishment of underground networks that connect trees and other plants in nature, therefore being the wood wide web, the ‘internet’ of the forests According to our literature review, globally 970 mycorrhizal fungal species (including both mushrooms and truffles) are edible, and they have enormous relevance either as a source of subsistence in low‐income human groups around the world or as an important economic component whose international commerce is worth billions of American dollars annually Since edible mycorrhizal fungi (EMF) are a non‐timber forest product, their sustainable use and management is crucial in order to maintain forest stands and to provide well‐being to the human communities surrounding the forested areas where they grow In different parts of the world, different cultures have developed a traditional knowledge of EMF over millennia Their knowledge might play an important role in food supply and food security in the future, hence contributing towards the “zero hunger” global goal The biotechnological development of EMF has also been crucial in the establishment of plantations, or successful reforestation and ecosystem restoration, which contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing greenhouse gas emissions Here, a worldwide review of how EMF might contribute to forest sustainability, food supply, biocultural conservation, and hunger and climate change mitigation is addressed by analysing the similarities, contrasts and challenges in all five continents [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Plants, People, Planet is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )

An accounting system helps to provide information for planning and control of production. This article presents a Life Cycle Costing by using an Activity Based Costing approach of an innovative forestry company. In order to perform a cradle-to-gate assessment the study covers the forest and industrial activities of the forest product processing. The costs of each product in the portfolio are determined by the treatment activities they undergo. The inventory covers several years of activity of the company, which makes it possible to calculate the uncertainty of the average results with Monte Carlo simulation presented in the result section. Based on the results a products portfolio analysis was performed to identify the development progress phases of the mains products to support the product rollover strategy decision.

Beekeeping as a Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP) under the Modified Taungya System (MTS) is under exploited. Information on the types of tree plantation and wood hives suitable for its productivity...

The social forestry program which aims to improve the condition of forests and the welfare of the community is a solution in forest governance in Indonesia. However, implementation of social forestry in the field still shows very low performance both qualitatively and quantitatively. Therefore, a transition to a more holistic social forestry management concept is needed, which can be pursued through the implementation of the main social forestry development strategies which include: area management, institutional management and business management. As one of the pillars in the strategy of developing social forestry, business management determines the impact of social forestry activities on improving the welfare of the community. This article aims to present the design of the activities which is needed in establishing business management on social forestry permit schemes in production forests. Analysis of the policy content and the implementation of social forestry programs using interview methods and field observations were presented in both qualitatively and descriptively. We found that, the various activities are business partnerships with corporation or Forest Management Unit, greater authority for communities to harvest forest products, simpler forest product administration regulations, incentives for processing forest products, and ease in obtaining capital support.

Una evaluación del aprovechamiento de Bonellia sprucei Mez como producto forestal no maderable se realizó en las localidades de Las Peñas y Soledad de la localidad de Julcuy, para conocer sobre el aprovechamiento y potencialidades de uso de los Productos Forestales No Maderables derivados de esta especie. Se realizaron recorridos de campo, entrevistas y charlas, así el objetivo del trabajo consistió en evaluar el aprovechamiento de Bonellia sprucei Mez, en las localidades antes mencionadas, a través del método empírico de encuestas y la realización de un muestreo aleatorio estratificado; para el muestreo se establecieron transectos de 20 m x 50 m. Mediante un inventario florístico en el bosque seco tropical de aquellas localidades, se comprobó el grado de asociación de ese taxa con otras especies, así mismo se determinó su abundancia, los porcentajes, cantidad de uso y sus derivados. Los resultados revelan la composición del ecosistema, y demuestran que estos productos no se explotan al máximo. La distancia de los árboles a las viviendas es una variable que incide en el precio final del producto.

Nontimber forest products (NTFPs)‬ are one of the forest products that can provide direct benefits to communities living around forests. Some of the most used NTFPs in Indonesia are the stems, leaves and fruit of candlenut trees. Candlenut fruit is widely used in the cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and biodiesel industries and is generally used as a cooking ingredient in Indonesia. However, only a limited number of people or community groups manage the forests to increase their income from this business. The aim of this study is to identify business models to serve as the basis for developing alternative business model organizational plans for candlenut extraction. A case study approach was adopted, with in-depth interviews used to collect data. The integration of Business Model Canvas, SWOT Analysis, Internal Factor Evaluation and External Factor Evaluation matrix were used to determine alternative strategies. The results exhibit that the value proposition is the largest barrier for the improvement of these businesses. The Positioning Quadrant SWOT shows that internal factors (strengths and weaknesses) are low, indicating that the candlenut business position is internally weak. However, the scores of external factors (opportunities and threats) are higher implying that there is a great opportunity in the development of candlenut. The alternative strategies to develop candlenut business are to maintain relationships with customers and partners; increasing the quantity and quality of products through technology inputs, promotion, product diversification, and partnership with the government.‬‬

Copaifera oleoresin is an important traditional non-timber forest product in the Amazon; however, the Carajas National Forest has no plans to harvest this product to benefit extractive families. The objective of this study was to determine Copaifera oleoresin extraction potential in the Carajas National Forest, Eastern Amazon, identifying variables that could increase the chances of finding oleoresin. We mapped 129 trees and formulated a multiple logistic regression model (logit) with the collected variables: diameter at breast height (DBH), tree crown, tree health, presence of termites, and presence of damage or bifurcation. Among the mapped trees, we perforated 50 trees to harvest the oleoresin. Most of the oleoresin production occurred in trees with a DBH between 50 and 75 cm. The logit model predicted that an increase in DBH, dense crown, unhollowed trunk, and presence of damage or bifurcation increased the chances of oleoresin extraction, whereas termites did not. The model could contribute to the sustainable management of forest resources by avoiding random perforation of trees and establishing rational routes and cycles of extraction. Since the variables are easily measured, the model can be continuously used for future extractions.

Improving forest product value chains is considered a means to solve forest-related challenges in the Global South. The ‘Participative Innovation Platform’ (PIP) instrument has been developed to design and to continually adapt solutions and strategies for effective cooperation amongst value chain actors. The instrument is rooted in the action-oriented and social learning approach, combined with the concept of innovation systems. This paper presents findings from three PIPs conducted for upgrading non-timber forest product value chains in Ethiopia (bamboo, natural gums) and Sudan (gum Arabic). A comparative analysis of highest ranked contents revealed similarities in the challenges: lack of government support, poor infrastructure, producers’ lack of knowledge and skills, and lack of market information. Priority upgrading measures focused on producers’ knowledge, skills, and capacity to engage in collective action and to lobby interests, and on capital resources to invest in processing technology. It is concluded that although the PIP instrument presents an innovative way to upgrade forest-based value chains, the instrument requires a long-term process with frequently held platform meetings, conducted by neutral institutions with skilled moderators. Crucial in this process is the need to consistently verify and ensure that all actor groups of the chain are represented, and are confident they will derive benefits from the value chain upgrading.

Inadequate documentation and information of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in the study sites call for the assessment of composition and diversity of the concern products. Therefore, the aim of the study is to assess the Composition and Diversity of Non- Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in Baturiya Wetland Game Reserve, Jigawa State, Nigeria. A four (4) transects of 1km length was laid at an interval of 400 m. Likewise, in each transect, 4 plots of 100 x 100 m was laid alternately along each transect at 200 m interval. Also four (4) quadrants of 1m x1m in size for small non-timber forest products was randomly laid in each 100 x100m plot for each of the habitats in each plot, plant stocks identified were recorded. Data collected were analysed using Simpson index, Sorenson index and descriptive statistic. Results showed that Upland area had the highest species, number of individual and diversity of Non–Timber Forest Product followed by Swampy area and Fadama area with the values of (94, 1464, D-0.981), (63, 842, D-0.970) and (60, 805, D-0.969) respectively. Upland area and Swampy area had the highest similarity index of 78.5%. The results suggest that the documentation, inventory and management of NTFPs should be addressed in operational plan to enhance its diversity

Shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes) is one of the most commonly consumed mushrooms and an important forest product in Japan. In outdoor log cultivation of shiitake, colonization of logs by wild fu...

Softwood logs comprise a large portion of forest product exports from the United States. Most of these exports have occurred between the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and several Asian countries. In this study, the extent and degree of market integration of softwood log exports from 1996 to 2018 are examined by co-integration analyses and permanent–transitory decomposition. Softwood log exports to Japan and South Korea appear to be in the same economic market and show a high degree of integration, while trade between the United States and China has evolved more independently. A detailed analysis is conducted on five prices related to Japan and South Korea with full-time coverage, and one common integrating factor is found and estimated. The price of export from the Columbia-Snake Customs District to Japan is identified as the driving force. Price responses to market shocks usually occur within four months. These findings have implications for government agencies and participants in the market of softwood log trade.

Previous research on community forestry in Thailand has mainly focused on its institutional dimensions. Comprehensive knowledge on the production of non-timber forest products and on harvesting practices and decision-making processes is therefore still limited, particularly in relation to community-based forestry. A survey was performed to estimate the production of non-timber forest products and to characterize the diversity of harvesting practices and decision-making processes in northern Thailand's community forests. Field investigations were conducted once a month for 12 months in seven community forests in the Lainan sub-district in Nan Province, using a grid-based sampling technique. Production and productivity of the main non-timber forest products were calculated by total fresh weight. In-depth interviews were conducted individually with 231 local harvesters to understand their non-timber forest product harvesting practices and decision-making processes. Young shoots of Melientha suavis, queen broods of Oecophylla smaragdina and edible mushrooms were found to be the three main non-timber forest products collected, with productivity of 2, 12, and 2 kg/ha/year, respectively. Harvesting practices were characterized as applied by (A) landless villagers, (B) small- and medium-sized landholders, (C) larger landholders, and (D) outsiders. Local harvesters displayed different decision-making processes in resource harvesting depending on periods of resource availability, the duration of harvests and the quantities harvested. These quantitative data on resource productivity together with knowledge of harvesting practices and decision-making processes among harvesters will provide input to a participatory resource management process to support exchanges of knowledge among local stakeholders and explore scenarios for appropriate rules of access so as to improve the sustainability of non-timber forest product harvesting.

Forest cover rate is the principal indice to reflect the forest acount of a nation and region. In view of the difficulty of accurately calculating large-scale forest area by traditional statistical survey methods, it is proposed to extract China forest area based on Google Earth Engine platform. Trained by the enough samples selected through the Google Earth software, there are nine different random forest classifiers applicable to their corresponding zones. Using Landsat 8 surface reflectance data of 2018 year and the modified forest partition map, China forest cover is generated on the Google Earth Engine platform. The accuracy of China's forest coverage achieves 89.08%, while the accuracy of Global Forest Change datasets of Maryland university and Japan’s ALOS Forest/Non-Forest forest product reach 87.78% and 84.57%. Besides, the precision of tropical/subtropical forest, temperate coniferous forest as well as nonforest region are 83.25%, 87.94% and 97.83%, higher than those of other’s accuracy. Our results show that by means of the random forest algorithm and enough samples, tropical and subtropical broadleaf forest, temperate coniferous forest and nonforest partition can be extracted more accurately. Through the computation of forest cover, our result shows that China has a area of 220.42 million hectare in 2018.

Broom grass (Thysanolaena maxima) is an important non-timber forest product throughout the northern provinces of Lao PDR, playing akey role in the livelihoods of rural populations during the dry se...

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on forest product markets and the forest product industry, and has also seriously affected the sales of forest products. This research aimed to analyze people’s preference for wood furniture and make policy recommendations. We examined the impact of the pandemic on consumers’ preferences for wood furniture from the perspective of accounting. Taking the accounting data of wood furniture enterprises as the research object, through the translog revenue function, and using the relationship between revenue and consumption in economics, we found that the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced consumers’ preferences for wood furniture, but the decline in preference is smaller for wood furniture produced by extra-large furniture manufacturers. This study contributes to the literature and in view of our research results and the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, we provide policy suggestions for the related governmental agencies and wood furniture manufacturers, in this special environment, that can reduce the negative impact of a pandemic on the wood furniture industry.

A typical case of multiple-use forest management (MFM) in Southwestern Amazon is the commercial harvesting of Amazon or Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa) seeds and of timber of other tree species. Although the Amazon nut is the most important non-timber forest product (NTFP) in the Amazon basin, the species is under serious threat due to deforestation and may also be affected by overharvesting. However, selective logging of other tree species coexisting with Bertholletia may positively affect Bertholletia populations, thus enabling a special case for MFM. For this research, we investigated the impact of the intensity of Amazon nut harvesting and timber logging on Bertholletia populations in the Bolivian Amazon. We used demographic data from 72 two-hectare transects located within 24 community-based household forests varying in the intensity of nut collection (0–100%) and timber logging (0–15% of logging-disturbed forest area). Simulated Bertholletia population size increased with logging intensity but decreased with Amazon nut harvesting intensity. Bertholletia populations were projected to grow at the average MFM harvesting scenario tested: 57.4% of nut harvesting, 5.3% of logging-disturbed area (λ100 = 1.011). Our simulations also revealed that up to 89% of Amazon nut seeds can be harvested while sustaining Bertholletia populations, under 15% of logging-disturbed area, and applying liana cutting. Modest levels of timber logging and application of liana cutting may compensate for the negative effect of Amazon nut collection on Bertholletia populations for the next century. Our study demonstrates that Amazon nut and timber production could be combined in a sustainable MFM scheme, thus increasing the economic value of managed tropical forests and its promotion to reduce the increasing pressure by deforestation.

Quassia amara L. is a semi-sciophyte species that can be found growing as a large shrub or a small tree in Neotropical rainforests. It is traditionally harvested as a non-wood forest product for culinary, medicinal and insecticidal uses. Lack of knowledge on the ecological conditions that support tree growth limits the development of sustainable forest management plans of natural forests and the development of new agroecological cultivation models. The overall objectives of the present work are to (1) compare the Quassia amara L. growth in different forest structures; (2) evaluate the impact of light conditions on Quassia amara L. diameter growth, total height growth and height–diameter relationship and (3) discuss implications for the sustainable management of the species in agroecosystems. Light conditions are characterized at the tree level by the crown illumination index (cii), which is a visual and ordinal index. Results show that tree growth varies between plots with different forest structures and light conditions. The cii was able to characterize light conditions. Best light conditions were different for diameter and total height growth: cii value of 5.0 (tree crown completely exposed to overhead and lateral direct light) and cii value of 3.5 (tree crown exposed to some vertical/overhead direct light and low direct light), respectively. The cii did not affect the height–diameter relationship. A value of cii equal to 4 was found as an intermediate condition and recommended for the establishment of new agroecosystems including the Quassia amara L.

The ecological impact of forest product harvesting is poorly understood despite the reliance of millions of impoverished households on forest resources. As birds are indicators of environmental change and essential for the function and regeneration of forest ecosystems, this study aimed to assess the response of bird species richness and functional diversity to unregulated forest product harvesting, to illuminate the impact of harvest disturbances on forest biodiversity. Five forest ecotypes in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa were sampled by means of circular plots in which bird communities, habitat structure and harvest intensities of sub-canopy trees harvested for poles, canopy trees harvested for timber, and bark harvested for medicinal use, were recorded. Generalized linear models (GLMs) were used to assess the response of bird diversity to harvesting activities measured on a continuous scale, and forest ecotype. Correlations between feeding traits and environmental variables relating to habitat structure and harvest disturbances were investigated using RLQ and fourth-corner analysis to better understand which traits were sensitive to harvest disturbances. Results indicated that forest ecotype was an important driver of variation in species richness and functional diversity. Additionally, harvesting disturbances negatively affected two measures of functional diversity, while species richness and functional richness were unaffected by harvesting. Specifically, functional evenness was negatively affected by timber harvesting, while functional dispersion declined in response to pole and bark harvesting. Bird traits relating to feeding ecology (i.e. primary diet and foraging strategy) were associated with habitat structure and harvest disturbances, indicating that harvest activities affected community structure. Specifically, frugivores and granivores were negatively affected by pole and bark harvesting respectively, while omnivorous species were positively affected by these harvest activities. Conversely, timber harvesting negatively affected omnivores, and positively affected nectarivores. Bark and timber harvesting, which resulted in canopy gaps, negatively affected species which forage in the understory or on the forest floor, while pole harvesting, which reduced tree abundance but not canopy cover, negatively affected canopy-foraging species. These results suggest that current unregulated forest product harvesting in the Eastern Cape may negatively affect forest productivity and ecosystem functioning. Specifically, this is the first study to measure the effects of harvesting of poles and medicinal bark on the functional diversity of avian forest communities.

With the advent of the European bioeconomy and a shift in lifestyle among European citizens, non-wood forest products (NWFPs) are given more attention in the public debate. Their potential to strengthen the economic viability of rural economies appears to be high, particularly in regions where wood is not the most profitable forest product. However, information on NWFP production potentials are scarce and tools to support forest owners in decision making about NWFP management are rarely available. Considering the complex relationships between a sustained production of NWFPs, the use of the available ecological resources, as well as the organizational and the market potential of forest management regimes, we introduce a knowledge-based expert model for supporting NWFP management. In a mixed-method approach qualitative and quantitative techniques are combined to depict regional production and business potentials of NWFPs, explicitly addressing different environmental and socio-economic contexts. For the model building multi-criteria analysis methods were used for preference elicitations in an iterative form, including stakeholders and experts. Within two distinct case study settings (i.e. Austria and Finland) the expert model is tested for applicability and to depict the most suitable option from a suite of selected NWFPs. Results for both case studies well reflect current NWFP business potentials and provide insights to the opportunities of mixing more resilient and more risky NWFPs to a solid regional business portfolio, fostering the co-production of wood and non-wood resources. The approach presented has a potential to steer the mindset of different forest owner types to critically revise their interests in forest management. It could act as an eye-opener for forestry-oriented stakeholders who have not yet considered NWFPs as potential assets in forest management systems. With its ability to include various NWFPs and to consider different forest owner preferences, future applications can be tailored towards the needs of both small-scale (non-industrial) forest owners and bigger forest holdings.

Mexican oregano is a non-timber forest product harvested in natural vegetation and represents an important source of income for rural families. Recent reports have highlighted decreases in natural populations caused by increased harvest intensity. Oregano leaf harvesting is a complex problem, involving different components and views, and has a clear spatial dimension. We proposed an analytical framework based on multi-criteria-multi-objective analyses. GIS tools were used as the platform for managing, displaying and analyzing ecological and socioeconomic information from different sources in order to evaluate land suitability of three different management strategies for two competing land objectives: oregano Harvest and oregano Regeneration. The incorporation of environmental evaluation criteria in the analysis allowed the identification of new potential oregano harvesting areas which were neither reported by harvesters, nor registered during harvesting trips. Socio-economic criteria, such as land tenure, highlighted the fact that a substantial proportion of current oregano harvesting areas are located outside ejido limits resulting in potential conflicts for resource access. The proposed Balanced oregano management strategy, in which the same proportion of suitable area (50%) was assigned to both objectives, represents the most favorable management strategy. This option allows harvesters to continue earning an income from oregano leaf harvest; and at the same time helps in the selection of the best areas for oregano regeneration. It also represents a management strategy with a smaller impact on oregano populations and on the harvesters´ income, as well as lower monitoring costs. The proposed analytical framework may contribute to advance the application of systematic approaches for solving decision-making problems in areas where oregano leaves and other NTFP are harvested.

The conversion of forested areas to non-forest land was a series problem in study area of Goba district. The objectives of this study were to assess the trends, causes and effects of deforestation in Goba district, Bale zone, Ethiopia. Descriptive research method was employed to achieve these stated objectives. Satellite image of the three times and socio-economic survey were the main data sources for this study. ERDAS imagine 9.2 and ArcGIS 10 tools were applied for land use and land cover type classification, and analysis and mapping. These land use land and over change data were obtained from USGS. Socio-economic data collected through questionnaires, focus group discussions and interviews on the causes and impacts of land use and land cover change were analyzed quantitatively using SPSS software and content analysis for qualitative data. These analyzed data were expressed in percent and in words. The result shows that there was variation in the extent of land use and land cover change among different categories/classes at different study periods. Open area and Bush land showed decreasing change during first period of comparison and increasing change in the second period of comparison. In contrast, agricultural area, Bale temperate vegetation and built up area showed increasing. Built up area, agricultural area and Bale temperate vegetation increased by 80.05, 15.84, and 7.40 percent respectively, however, open area, grassland, forest land and bush land decreased by 1.58, 1.21, 0.97, and 0.28 percent per year for the last 29 years respectively. In general, in study district forest cover was 50.87% of the total area in 1986 and decreased to 36.57% in 2015 whereas agricultural area was increased from 3.45% to 19.28% respectively. This implies an increasing agricultural area at the expense of other land use cover categories, particularly natural forest. The study indicated that increasing population, forest fire and fuel wood consumption, overgrazing, and agriculture and settlement expansion and road construction caused forest cover change in the district. A decrease in livelihood incomes, volume of the surface water and in contrary increase in rain fall and temperature variability and forest product costs were among the major observed effects of deforestation in study area. Based on these findings, the study recommends the need to introduce and develop agricultural extension services, alternative energy sources and awareness raising services to the study area.

This manuscript confirms the feasibility of using a long short-term memory (LSTM) recurrent neural network (RNN) to forecast lumber stock prices during the great and Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic recessions in the USA. The database was composed of 5012 data entries divided into recession periods. We applied a timeseries cross-validation that divided the dataset into an 80:20 training/validation ratio. The network contained five LSTM layers with 50 units each followed by a dense output layer. We evaluated the performance of the network via mean squared error (MSE), root mean squared error (RMSE), and mean absolute error (MAE) for 30, 60, and 120 timesteps and the recession periods. The metrics results indicated that the network was able to capture the trend for both recession periods with a remarkably low degree of error. Timeseries forecasting may help the forest and forest product industries to manage their inventory, transportation costs, and response readiness to critical economic events.

The development of economic forestry industry is an important support in the process of rural revitalization strategy and precise poverty alleviation, as well as enrichment of the people. As the market of economic forestry products is close to a perfectly competitive market, brand effect is crucial under homogeneous competition, and economic forestry product enterprises and other business entities need to win and maintain sustainable competitive advantages through brand management. Currently, in the field of economic forest, products such as Chinese wolfberry, jujube, blueberry, fungus, walnut, tephrosia, hazelnut, and chestnut and forest foods and product brands with certain market recognition have emerged, but for most small- and medium-sized economic forest product enterprises, forest product brand cultivation and construction are still in the initial stage. Under the rapid development of the Internet, different types of Internet platforms, which provide new tools and possibilities for branding, the way of corporate brand marketing, and customer management services, have also undergone significant changes. In the market with serious homogenization and increasingly fierce competition, how to establish brand-consumer connection through the Internet platform, strengthen the intensity of consumer participation and connection to the brand, give play to the brand effect, and enhance the brand value in the long term, so as to obtain a new way to win a sustainable competitive advantage, has become an important proposition for all kinds of enterprises, including economic forest product enterprises. Combining the competitive characteristics of economic forestry products and the development of the Internet, the model of brand value enhancement of economic forestry products based on virtual brand communities is constructed. The model takes the experience value obtained by consumers in the virtual brand community as the antecedent and studies the path relationship from experience value, community identity, brand fit, and consumer brand value creation to brand value in four dimensions, utilitarian experience value, emotional experience value, social experience value, and learning experience value, and takes community integration and community support feeling as the moderating variables.

1. Forest landscape restoration (FLR) has gained momentum globally and guidance is needed to identify those species, sites and planting methods that increase restoration success. Incorporating native Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP) species in FLR approaches provides an opportunity to simultaneously deliver ecological and economic benefits. The Brazil nut tree is one of the most valuable Amazonian NTFP species and could fulfil a cornerstone role in Amazon FLR. However, the factors defining establishment success within Brazil nut restoration activities remain unknown. 2. Here, we evaluate the effect of management practices, restoration site (pastures, agroforestry, secondary forest and canopy gaps in old growth forest) and environmental conditions on the establishment success (tree growth, survival and fruit production) of Brazil nut restoration projects implemented by smallholders in the Peruvian Amazon. We performed a field study at 25 restoration sites of 1–38 years in age, where we conducted measurements on 481 trees and interviewed 21 smallholders. We used mixed effect models to identify drivers of performance. 3. Twenty years after planting, diameter growth in secondary forests was 38%, 34%, and 24% higher than in canopy gaps, pastures, and agroforestry sites, respectively. Survival rate was similar for trees planted in pastures and secondary forests, but 15–20% higher there than trees planted in agroforestry sites, and 7–12% higher than in canopy gaps. Fruit production was 262% higher for reproductive trees in secondary forest sites compared to pastures, but production probability did not differ between restoration sites. These results show that secondary forests are the most suitable sites for planting Brazil nut trees. 4. In addition to restoration site effects, we also found significant effects of management practices. Survival rate increased with application of fire for clearing and weeding and economic investments and decreased with potentially inefficient herbivore protection. Fruit production was lower for trees planted further away from smallholders’ homes. These results show that smallholders’ management has a substantial effect on establishment success. 5. Our findings suggest a significant importance of post-planting maintenance of trees to increase success of FLR projects. Further, our study shows that evaluation of past restoration activities can guide future forest restoration in tropical landscapes., Forest Ecology and Management, 498, ISSN:0378-1127, ISSN:1872-7042

Bilberries (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.), blackberries (Rubus fruticosus L.) and cowberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) are the most important forest berries collected in the Czech Republic (CZ). The average annual value of these collected berry species is estimated to be worth more than EUR 86 million at 2018 prices. The data concerning the collection and use of forest fruits have been systematically collected in a highly detailed structure since 2008, which enables the application of the advanced statistical methods used in this paper. The results of the analyses inter alia demonstrate that collecting forest berries is not only an important recreational activity, but it has an important economic effect. Therefore, this article also deals with the collection of forest fruits, especially bilberries, as a potentially important non-wood forest product (NWFP) for sustainable forest management and also analyses the external factors influencing the total annual amount of collected forest berries. A deeper knowledge of the customer and his or her behaviour&mdash, customer insight&mdash, are prerequisites for the proactive management of forest ecosystems. The first step to &ldquo, berry picker insight&rdquo, is to learn more about the demand, its structure and factors which influence this demand. Thus, one of the research questions concentrates on the analysis of the sociodemographic characteristics of the berry picker that are relevant for explaining the amount of collected forest berries in the Czech Republic. Knowledge of these factors can contribute to a more effective application of marketing methods for shaping and influencing the demand so that, in terms of time and place, it is more in line with the supply, which is limited by the natural conditions, growing season and production potential of forest ecosystems.

Pine straw, the uppermost forest floor layer of undecayed, reddish-brown pine needles, is raked, baled, and sold as a landscaping mulch throughout the southeastern United States. Loblolly (Pinus taeda, L.), longleaf (P. palustris, Mill.), and slash (P. elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii) pine are the three southern pine species commonly raked for pine straw. The value of pine straw as a forest product is large. Private landowner pine straw revenues have steadily increased throughout the southeastern United States over the past two decades and now total more than USD 200 million. Information is limited on the short- or long-term effects of pine straw removal on foliage production or stand growth in southern pine stands. Results from most published studies suggest that annual pine straw raking without fertilization on non-old-field sites reduces straw yields compared to no raking. Old-field sites often do not benefit from fertilization with increased pine straw or wood volume yields. Though fertilization may be beneficial for pine straw production on some sites, understory vegetation presence and disease prevalence may increase following fertilization. This review addresses pine straw removal effects on pine straw production and stand growth parameters based on recent studies and provides fertilization recommendations to maintain or improve pine straw production and stand growth and yield.

Private forest (PF) program has the potential to be one of the most efficient forest management programs in Nepal but it has not gained the momentum compared to the other forest management regimes. Considering this, this paper aims to portray policy provisions, existing institutional arrangements as well as landholder experiences and perceptions over the existing mechanisms of PF registration, management, and forest product harvesting. Using the Sudoorpashchim province of Nepal as a case study, we conducted policy and literature reviews, key informant interviews, household surveys, and field observations. We found only 300 PFs registered in the Sudoorpashchim province, with lowland districts having the highest proportion (87%). Institutional arrangements and procedures for timber harvesting and selling were found to be lengthy and complex, with this being a major issue for PF owners with small forest areas. Government initiatives are inadequate to facilitate PF development due to poor implementation of policy provisions, as well as the lack of appropriate incentives and program packages. Despite a very small government investment in PF development, we found the return from PFs in terms of timber supply to be substantially higher than other forest management regimes. Among others, PF owners perceive the cumbersome regulatory procedures and lack of technical support to be the most pertinent factors responsible for the limited growth of PFs. Based on our results, we have discussed and recommended a number of policy and institutional measures to mainstream PF development programs, in order to support economic prosperity of the nation.

Eastern deciduous forests in the United States have supplied marketable non-timber forest products (NTFP) since the 18th century. However, trade is still largely informal, and the market scope and structure are not well understood. One exception is American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.). Ginseng’s legal status as a threatened species requires that buyers apply for a license and keep sales records that are submitted to a state authority. Other marketable medicinal plants collected from the same forests, known colloquially as ‘off-roots’, are not similarly tracked. To study the characteristics of off-root trade in the eastern deciduous forests of the United States, registered ginseng buyers in 15 eastern states were surveyed in 2015 and 2016 about business attributes, purchase volume, and harvest distribution for 15 off-root species selected for their economic and conservation value. Buyers voluntarily reported harvesting 47 additional NTFP species. The most frequently purchased off-root species were the roots and rhizomes of two perennial understory plants: black cohosh (Actaea racemosa L.) and goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L.). Survey data were used to develop a buyer typology and describe the off-root market structure and material sourcing. The buyer typology included four distinct categories: side or specialty (small), seasonal venture (medium), large integrated or dedicated business (large), and dedicated bulk enterprise (regional aggregator). Market activity was mapped across the study area, demonstrating that most off-root trade is concentrated in central Appalachia, an area with extensive forests and a struggling economy. Study methods and data improve non-timber forest product market insights, are useful for forest management, and can support efforts to advance sustainable NTFP supply chains.

Adalina Y, Sawitri R. 2020. Vegetation analysis, physico-chemical properties and economic potential of damar (Agathis dammara) in Mount Halimun Salak National Park,West Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 1122-1129. Analysing the potential of non-timber forest product (NTFP) plants in Mount Halimun Salak National Park (MHSNP) is one of the important aspects in supporting conservation and improving the economic status of communities around the forest. This study aims to determine the economic potential and benefits of damar plants (Agathis dammara) in MHSNP area of Kawah Ratu Resort, Sukabumi District, West Java, Indonesia along with analysis of damar plant forest and physico-chemical analysis of the copal/resin. The selection of research village was by purposive sampling and the selection of respondents was by random sampling. Forest vegetation in the Kawah Ratu Resort is entirely dominated by damar plants. The Important Value Index (IVI) of damar plant trees is 300% and the density is 582 trees/ha. The quality of copal from Kawah Ratu Resort meets SNI standards in parameters like ash content, soft point and melting point, while the saponification number is above SNI standard. Level of dung in copal chunks meet SNI standards and has better quality than copal in the form of powder. The present average income of farmers from resin tapping is Rp 624,000/person /month, which makes an average contribution of 63.08% to the total household income of farmers. But the actual economic potential of gum resin in Kawah Ratu Resort was estimated to be around Rp 596,920,000/month.

The gravity model of trade is one of the most common approaches in modern econometrics. In its basic form, the model assumes that income and distance between two partners most likely play a major role in the occurrence of trade. Despite the long history of the gravity model and its high, universal explanatory potential, its application for the forest sector is not broad and refers only to the traditional definition of the gravity approach. However, this traditional approach is not able to explain all aspects of trade at a disaggregated sector level. Consequently, the present study aims to close this research gap and reveal influencing factors for the appearance and the intensity of forest product trade by applying the structural gravity approach. This is done via linear and non-linear estimation methods for the forest sector on the whole and for thirteen forest products in detail. Three major results were found: first, the traditional gravity approach overestimates the impact of the overall income on forest sector trade. Second, the appearance of wood market trade is not always influenced by the same factors as the quantity traded. Third, with increasing processing level, determinants of forest product trade seem to be influenced by different factors.

The volume, value and distribution of the nontimber forest product (NTFP) trade in the United States are largely unknown. This is due to the lack of systematic, periodic and comprehensive market tracking programs. Trade measurement and mapping would allow market actors and stakeholders to improve market conditions, manage NTFP resources, and increase the sustainable production of raw material. This is especially true in the heavily forested and mountainous regions of the eastern United States. This study hypothesized that the tendency to purchase medicinal NTFPs in this region can be predicted using socioeconomic and environmental variables associated with habitat and trade, and those same variables can be used to build more robust estimates of trade volume. American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) dealers were surveyed (n = 700), because by law they must acquire a license to legally trade in this species, and therefore report a business address. They also record purchase data. Similar data are not reported for other medicinal species sold to the same buyers, known colloquially as &lsquo, off-roots&rsquo, Ginseng buyers were queried about trade activity in eleven commonly-harvested and previously untracked medicinal NTFP species in 15 states. Multinomial logistic regression comprised of socioeconomic and environmental predictors tied to business location was used to determine the probability that a respondent purchased off-roots. Significant predictors included location in a particular subregion, population and percentage of employment in related industries. These variables were used in a two-step cluster analysis to group respondents and nonrespondents. Modeled probabilities for off-root purchasing among respondents in each cluster were used to impute average off-root volumes for a proportion of nonrespondents in the same cluster. Respondent observations and nonrespondent estimations were summed and used to map off-root trade volume and value. Model functionality and estimates of the total volume, value and spatial distribution are discussed. The total value of the species surveyed to harvesters was 4.3 million USD. We also find that 77 percent of the trade value and 73 percent of the trade volume were represented by two species: black cohosh (Actaea racemosa L.) and goldenseal (Hydrastis canqdensis L.)

In forestry applications in Turkey, forest enterprise depots (FEDs) are permanent main places where forest products such as logs and round timbers are stored and presented for sale to the market. The principal functions of FEDs are receiving, classifying, protecting, preparing the forest products for the sales and tracking the stock movements. According to Communiqué No 288 on the Production of Fundamental Forest Products published by General Directorate of Forestry in Turkey, it is obligatory to conduct stocktaking twice a year in FEDs for tracking and controlling the stock movements. The capabilities of using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in tracking stock movements in FEDs have not been extensively studied yet in the current literature. This study aimed to test UAVs in determining volume of round timber storages inside a FED named "Göl", located in Gölyaka District (Düzce, Turkey). A UAV flight was conducted and volume of round timber storage was calculated from point cloud, and compared to stock records for validation of UAV-based measurements. It was found that UAV-based volume measurements of the stock were quite compatible with available stock records. This study concluded that UAVs could be used in tracking stock movements in FEDs in an effective way.

Forest inventory parameters, in particular DBH (diameter at breast height) and tree height, can be used to accurately estimate above-ground carbon, which is an important indicator of forest productivity and sequestration of carbon. This study demonstrates and tests a method to automatically and manually derive forest inventory parameters for estimating above-ground carbon (AGC) using a Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS). The study was conducted in the Royal Belum State Park of Peninsular Malaysia by establishing 24 circular inventory sample plots of 0.05 ha. A RIEGL VZ-400 TLS system was used to acquire point cloud data of the sample plots through multiple scanning, and these data were further pre-processed and co-registered using the RiSCAN PRO software. The DBH and tree height for each tree within the plots were manually measured using a distance measurement tool in RiSCAN PRO and automatically derived from Computree software using a tree segmentation approach. The inventory parameters derived from TLS were compared with the field measurements for calculating the AGC using an allometric equation. On average, 89% and 90% of the sampled trees were detected from the point cloud data of the plots using the manual and automatic detection methods, respectively. The mean values of R 2 (coefficient of determination) and RMSE (Root Mean Square Error) for manually measured DBH and tree height across the plots were 0.95 and 2.70 cm, and 0.77 and 2.96 m, respectively. We also obtained an average value of 0.86 and 2.47 cm, and 0.51 and 3.15 m for R 2 and RMSE, respectively between field-measured and automatically derived DBH and tree height from TLS data across all the sample plots of the study area. Our method provides clear evidence that TLS has the potential to derive forest inventory parameters, which can be used to estimate above-ground carbon in the tropical rainforest accurately.

Black truffles are a highly valued non-wood forest product. The success of truffle plantations is arousing the interest to establish orchards within forest settings. One main concern is that the forest may act as a source of ectomycorrhizal fungi that could displace Tuber melanosporum in plantations and impair truffle production. We studied the effects of host tree distance to the surrounding forest on T. melanosporum development and on the root-associated fungal community. Our research was carried out in a 5-year old holm oak (Quercus ilex) plantation established in an abandoned pasture surrounded by a Q. ilex forest in the Pyrenees. The spatial distribution of different fungal guilds as well as of T. melanosporum mycelium quantity and mating types frequency was correlated with the distance to the forest and the diameter of the trees. We found a higher relative abundance of non-T. melanosporum EcM fungi associated with the trees closer to the forest. Larger root collar diameter trees had greater biomass of T. melanosporum mycelium and displayed fungal community compositions less affected by the distance to the forest. No associations between the biomass of T. melanosporum mycelium in the soil and the distance to the forest or the abundance of non-T. melanosporum EcM fungi were observed. Our results indicate that T. melanosporum inoculated oaks planted in areas surrounded by forests may be colonised by other ectomycorrhizal species, and develop a distinct microbial community from those usually established in agricultural lands. Further investigations should be carried out to determine whether a different fungal community may affect truffle production in the future, but to date, truffle mycelium does not seem to be impaired. This work was supported by ‘Direcció General d’Ecosistemes Forestals i Gestió del Medi Departament d'Agricultura, Ramaderia, Pesca i Alimentació’ of ‘Generalitat de Catalunya’ and the Project INNOVATRUF (PECT El bosc, el primer recurs de l’economia verda – Fons Europeu de Desenvolupament Regional de la Unió Europea-Programa operatiu FEDER de Catalunya 2014-2020). D. Oliach received support from the ‘Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca del Departament d’Economia i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya’ through the program of ‘Doctorats Industrials’. J.A. Bonet benefit from Serra Húnter fellow provided by the Generalitat de Catalunya. J. Oliva was partly supported by a “Ramón y Cajal” fellowship (RYC-2015-17459).

Fraser fir (Abies fraseri [Pursh] Poir) is a popular, high-demand Christmas tree species, making it an important nontimber forest product. Fraser fir is the only endemic fir to the Southern Appalachian Mountains. It is a small to medium-sized tree with a very limited range in upper elevations of western North Carolina, southwestern Virginia, and eastern Tennessee.

The wide extension area occupied by babassu palm (Atallea speciosa Mart. Ex Spreng) is usually considered as an important obstacle for agricultural activities, such as crop production and pasture maintenance in Brazil. This study aimed to evaluate the non-wood forest product use and income generated in an Integrated Crop-Livestock-Forestry (ICLF) system using babassu palm as the main forestry component in a rural area of Pindaré-Mirim, a municipality of Maranhão state, in the Amazon Eastern Region, Brazil. In order to rise a well-balanced agroforestry system in numerous rural areas of the country, three main questions were addressed in this study: 1) What is the production of babassu fruits in the system? 2) Is the babassu extractivism income economically suitable for traditional communities of women babassu breakers? 3) Which commercialization scenario of NWFP could generate more income? Data on phenology and fruit production, processing of all fruit components, and commercialization of babassu products were collected in two 12-month seasons of palm production (2017/2018 and 2018/2019). The mean fruit production reached 2,345.49 kg ha-1 season-1, resulting in an estimate of income generation ranging from R$ 8,206.96 ha-1 season-1 to R$ 36,628.54 ha-1 season-1, depending on the commercialization scenario. These numbers were compared to the statewide monthly income per household of R$ 605.00 and to the per capita monthly income of 54% of the municipality of less than R$ 499.00. The real field data and the estimates for two seasons of using babassu palm, as the innovative forestry component in ICLF system, demonstrated that babassu NWFP could generate substantial income for the surrounding user communities. Such innovative agricultural system may contribute to change people understanding, diversifying agrarian production, improving the socioeconomic household welfare, and reducing the long-term conflicts between livestock activities and babassu palm existence in Brazil. Made available in DSpace on 2020-10-08T09:14:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ILPF.pdf: 780417 bytes, checksum: 7a8994fb85cecef33c7f6cbfd600d281 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2020

Njansang -Ricinodendron heudelotii (Baill.) Pierre ex Pax.- is a commonly traded non-timber forest product from Central African humid forests, used as a spice. South West Cameroon was selected as major production area and market where little data exist on the contribution of njansang to stakeholders livelihoods in the value chain. Interviews were used to gather information from 261 harvesters, traders and processing enterprises. From 2013 to 2015, 65.8 tons were harvested, with 13.17 tons traded in markets in the South West Region and in Nigeria for a value of €33,511. The ease of accessing markets makes a significant difference to the quantity harvested and contribution to harvesters’ household income. Average profit for harvesters is higher in regional markets than in local ones. Harvester’s profits were higher than buy’amsell’ams, retailers and exporters. Processors add the most value and earn the highest unit profits. Livelihood dependence upon njansang decreases along the chain, with harvesters more dependent than traders. Seasonality, corruption, storage and processing, influence price. Long-term value chain sustainability could be improved by increasing collaboration between stakeholders, collective action, disseminating knowledge about processing and storage techniques, and promoting domestication and cultivation to enable trade in this largely wild harvested NTFP to continue sustainably.

Seran YN, Sudarto, Hakim L, Arisoesilaningsih E. 2018. Structural model of sandalwood (Santalum album) regeneration in the forest and community plantation in Timor Island, Indonesia. Trop Drylands 2: 41-47. Sandalwood (Santalum album L.) is a very important forest product in NTT, an endemic species in the world with a high economic value.. This study aimed to identify and produce a structural model of sandalwood regeneration in both the forests and the community plantation in the Regency of Timor Tengah Selatan (TTS) and Timor Tengah Utara (TTU). The method used in this research was vegetation analysis by purposive sampling method on 8 observation stations with 87 plots. The plot size was 20x20 m2 (trees), 10x10 m2 (poles), 5x5 m2 (saplings), and 2x2 m2 (seedlings). Data observed in the field included the mean sandalwood population size in the forms of trees, poles, saplings and seedlings phase, vegetation data in sandalwood habitat which included tree wealth index, diversity index, number of individuals and sandalwood host diversity index data. Geographical factors such as altitude and slope, and abiotic factors such as soil organic matter, soil pH and soil conductivity were also recorded. Climate data included the number of dry months and rainfall. Sandalwood regeneration data included sandalwood vitality, pests and diseases and the number of seeds. Secondary data included climate data (ten years time) obtained from BMKG of NTT Province in Kupang. These data were used as the indicators of the latent variables (six variables) which consisted of geography, soil, climate, population, vegetation, and regeneration. Obtained data were subjected to both descriptive analysis and multivariate statistics with structural modeling of Warp Partial Least Square (WarpPLS 6.0). The results showed that most of the proposed indicators significantly influenced the compiled six latent variables except the host diversity. Some indicators significantly or highly significantly affected the latent variable with 15 indicators that significantly composed the latent variable. The resulting structural model is very relevant and has a relevance value of Q2 prediction of 96,65% so that the structural model proposed in this study has very relevant and high predictive value on factors that influence sandalwood regeneration. Therefore, this model is feasible or appropriate to be used as recommendations in the framework of sandalwood development in the forest and the community plantation in the West part of Timor Island, Nusa Tenggara Timur.

The low natural regeneration of the Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa) in the Madre de Dios region of Peru is a major concern for the conservation and sustainable use of this species which sustains one of the cornerstone non-timber forest product economies in Amazonia. The Brazil nut is a gap-dependent, long-lived pioneer species that has been shown to regenerate more effectively in fallows than in mature forests. Aside from light and nutrient availability, recruitment success of the species might also be influenced by conspecific negative distance-dependent (CNDD) processes as shown for a myriad of other tropical tree species, but to date has not been studied in the Brazil nut. We measured Brazil nut recruitment in forty 150 × 10 m2 transects (totaling 6 ha), proportionally laid out in mature forest and fallow land. We found a higher likelihood of regeneration in fallows than in mature forest, which was mainly due to more successful transitioning from seedlings to saplings in fallows. Recruitment rates in fallows increased with the number of fire events occurring over the past 12 years, largely owing to the accumulation of resprouting individuals, but this positive correlation was only observed up to three fire events. We observed CNDD recruitment of the Brazil nut in fallows but not in mature forest, suggesting that pests and diseases might also condition Brazil nut recruitment. Our findings suggest that a better management of fallow land and more controlled use of fire in neighboring land uses could be a cost-effective manner to create Brazil nut rich forests through natural regeneration. On the other hand, the absence of high density Brazil nut stands in mature forests in Madre de Dios might mean that the impact of ancient humans there has been more limited than in other Amazonian regions.

Forest is a resources system which has prospective materials to be used for human needs. Local people within everyday life are very dependent on the natural surroundings, as well as the use of nature for human needs tend to increase. The purpose of this research is to do the analysis of vegetation and determine the potential use of non-timber forest products in Kampung Pagai, Airu District, Jayapura. The method used for the analysis of vegetation is the square plot, while the method to figure out the potential of non-timber forest adopts the method developed by Waluyo (2004). The results showed that there are at least 39 species of trees belonging to the 26 families. Regeneration of trees showed the condition which is good based on the diversity of tree species in the Sapling level, especially matoa (Pometia pinnata), kayu besi (Instia bijuga), and various plants of Ficus ssp. The potential uses of non-timber forest are also quite high. Several types of plants can be used as building materials and accessories, medicines, ornaments (including orchids), fruits, and vegetables. Key words: forest, vegetation, non-timber forest product, Airu District, Jayapura.

The role of digital technologies for fostering sustainability and efficiency in forest-based supply chains is well acknowledged and motivated several studies in the scope of precision forestry. Sensor technologies can collect relevant data in forest-based supply chains, comprising all activities from within forests and the production of the woody raw material to its transformation into marketable forest-based products. Advanced planning systems can help to support decisions of the various entities in the supply chain, e.g., forest owners, harvest companies, haulage companies, and forest product processing industry. Such tools can help to deal with the complex interdependencies between different entities, often with opposing objectives and actions—which may increase efficiency of forest-based supply chains. This paper analyzes contemporary literature dealing with digital technologies in forest-based supply chains and summarizes the state-of-the-art digital technologies for real-time data collection on forests, product flows, and forest operations, as well as planning systems and other decision support systems in use by supply chain actors. Higher sustainability and efficiency of forest-based supply chains require a seamless information flow to foster integrated planning of the activities over the supply chain—thereby facilitating seamless data exchange between the supply chain entities and foster new forms of collaboration. Therefore, this paper deals with data exchange and multi-entity collaboration aspects in combination with interoperability challenges related with the integration among multiple process data collection tools and advanced planning systems. Finally, this interdisciplinary review leads to the discussion of relevant guidelines that can guide future research and integration projects in this domain.

To judge the accuracy of international forest product statistics, we checked the consistency of the reported consumption of wood and fiber with the production of wood products. Using goal programming, we estimated for 180 countries the consumption of industrial roundwood and of paper-making fibers nearest to the reported consumption, given the reported production of sawnwood, wood-based panels, pulp and paper and paperboard, and prior estimates of the input–output coefficients. The results suggested that for the 3-year average 2013–2015, industrial roundwood consumption was under-reported in 57 countries by a total amount of 368 million m³ and over reported in 44 countries by a total of 16 million m³. The largest under-reporting was for China for which the reported consumption of industrial roundwood was 237 million m³, or 57 per cent less than the estimated. The largest over reporting was for India, by 11 million m³, or 24 per cent. For paper-making fibers, reported consumption was less than the estimated in 62 countries for a total of 11.3 million t, and it was more than the estimated in 61 countries, for a total of 3.2 million t. The largest under-reported amount was for India: 2.6 million t, or 20 per cent of the estimated, a difference that was entirely attributed to the under-reporting of recovered paper consumption. The largest over reported consumption of paper-making fibers was for Spain, nearly 1 million t, or 24 per cent, attributed to over reporting of recovered paper consumption. The main source of the discrepancies was in the production statistics rather than trade. Only in some instances was the presumption of illegal logging consistent with the discrepancy, or lack thereof, between reported and estimated consumption of industrial roundwood.

Quantitative forest sector modelling includes many model parameters that are treated as being deterministic in the modelling framework, but are in reality often highly uncertain. Few studies have addressed the impacts of this uncertainty and the main objectives of this article are to quantify major market uncertainties in the Norwegian forest sector and analyse their impacts on the results of a forest sector model study for Norway. The uncertainties are derived from historical time series of the prices and exchange rates for international forest products, and their possible impacts are addressed by applying a Monte Carlo approach. A probabilistic approach in modelling is found to have significant impacts on harvest and forest industry production levels. When uncertainty is included, the relative standard deviation for modelled harvest levels varies from 15% to 45%, while for forest products the standard deviations vary from 30% to 80%. We conclude that the most important uncertainty factor for the Norwegian forest sector is the development of international forest product markets, and improved data on demand should be given high priority in future forest sector modelling development.

The construction and maintenance of forest roads are the activities that require the highest financial investment in the extraction of forest products. In addition, the cost of transporting forest products from landing to storage area can be significant proportion of the total extraction cost. For this reason, forest engineers are obliged not only to reduce the cost of road construction and maintenance, but also to prepare the most appropriate transportation plan to minimize total costs. Computer aided models can be used to solve complex transportation problems that require the evaluation of many alternative routes and selection of the alternative with least cost. In this study, the Network 2000 program based on the shortest path algorithm was used in transportation planning of forest product, and then the solution capacity of the method was examined in a sample application. As a study area, two Forest Enterprise Chiefs (FECs) of Paşalar and Sarnıç were selected from Mustafakemalpasa Forest Enterprise Directorate (FED) in the border of Bursa Forest Regional Directorate. The transportation cost of the road sections, forest product types, location of landing and forest depots were entered into the Network 2000 program after being digitized with ArcGIS 10.2 software. In the solution process, firstly, the route that minimized the transportation cost was investigated, and then, the route with the maximum net profit was determined by taking the sale prices of forest products into consideration. According to results, the transportation cost mostly depends on the transportation time, hourly truck cost and load capacity of the truck.

Exactly how do forest bureaucracies manoeuvre to regain power and maximise benefits in the bewildering legal, financial, and administrative field of forest decentralisation? Based on a review of thirty management plans, stakeholder consultations, intensive interactions with six forest user groups, forest officials, and donor project employees in Nepal, we document the mechanisms of legal-sounding re-centralisation. The central tenet is that bureaucratically established procedures, which are not required by law but treated as if they were, are used to impose regular revisions of community forest management plans. Meagre government or more generous donor budgets financed the revisions. Forest bureaucrats and/or consultants did the work and benefitted financially. None of the approaches, however, lived up to technical, scientific standards or followed stipulated participatory processes. The revised plans were almost identical to their previous versions and differences mostly a result of mere desk exercises to fulfil donor requirements and government orders, at least on paper. While legitimised by a perceived promotion of rational, technical sound, and equitable forest governance, the main function of plan revisions appears to be strengthening or re-establishing the forest bureaucracy's control over community forest resources which allows forest bureaucrats to tap into donor project and forest product value chains.