Tropical Forestry

This special issue of Forest Ecology and Management addresses management issues for the tropical timber species of the Meliaceae. The concept for this issue originated from a technical session entitled “Sustainable management of highvalue timber species of the Meliaceae: a global perspective”, held at the 2005 World Congress of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations in Brisbane, Australia. With the goal of helping to maintain the world-wide supply of these woods, the papers presented here cover topics that globally affect these species: natural forest management (Grogan et al., 2008; Hall, 2008; Lopes et al., 2008; Negreros-Castillo and Mize, 2008; Norghauer et al., 2008), plantations (Opuni-Frimpong et al., 2008a; Opuni-Frimpong et al., 2008b; Pérez- Salicrup and Esquivel, 2008; Wadsworth and González, 2008); and the conservation and use of genetic resources (André et al., 2008; de la Torre et al., 2008; Ward et al., 2008; Wightman et al., 2008). The tropical timber species of the subfamily Swietenioideae (the true mahoganies) of the Meliaceae include some of the finest cabinet woods in the world, based on generally shared characteristics such as dimensional stability and workability. The wood of these species is prized for cabinetry, veneers, interiors, and artisan uses. The Swietenioideae includes Cedrela and Swietenia in the Neotropics, Entandrophragma, Khaya and Lovoa in Africa, and Chukrasia and Toona in Australia. Genera discussed in this issue include Swietenia, Cedrela, Khaya, and Entandrophragma. In this introduction, we provide a brief overview of the general status of these genera and of the papers in this special issue.

Abstract Products from the wild, also known as non-timber forest products (NTFPs), are used as medicines, foods, spices, fibers, and fuel and for a multitude of other purposes. They contribute substantially to rural livelihoods and generate revenue for companies and governments, ...