forest resource management

Forests provide us with useful and important raw materials for our livelihoods and economic
development. If we maintain these resources through responsible use households, communities and
businesses can continue to use them in the future, helping to improve the local and national economy.
However, very often, little attention is paid to the importance of sustainable forest resource
management, resulting in overexploitation and wanton destruction of the resources upon which we all
depend. This Action Sheet aims to share information about responsible forest management, describing
the basics of forest management planning and suggesting ways in which forestry practices could be
improved in order to achieve sustainable forest management.

What is a forest ecosystem?

Forest ecosystems comprise of the trees, smaller plants, animals and non-biological components such as
soil, rainfall, temperature and humidity.

Forest ecosystems have the following vital functions: Productive functions.Forests provide timber,
wildlife, medicine, fuelwood, wild fruit, and spices Protective functions: By soaking up rainfall and
stopping it from hitting bare soil, forests stop floods, forests protect against soil erosion and silting up of
watercourses Forests also often protect areas of cultural importance (e.g. sacred groves) Ecological
functions: Tropical forests hold the greatest diversity of plants and animals in the world; Forests
affect local climate, keeping rainfall and temperatures stable. Forests absorb more heat from the sun
than do bare soil or grasses. This heat is re-radiated, warming up the air above the forest, which causes
it to rise. The water held in the air condenses into clouds and then falls as rain. Forests also feed water
to the air through evapotranspiration (the process by which plants release water through their leaves),
adding to local rainfall. The declining rainfall in inland West African countries is thought to be due to the
clearing of coastal rainforests; Forests play a vital role in global climate regulation by absorbing carbon
dioxide, one of the gases responsible for global warming. Plants naturally absorb carbon dioxide and
give off oxygen gas during photosynthesis. Tropical rain forests absorb more carbon dioxide than any
other terrestrial ecosystem on earth. Socio-economic functions: Forests provide food for rural
people; ฀ Forests pro ide fertile soils for far er s use a d suita le o ditio s for produ tio of ash
crops (e.g. Cocoa and Oil palm) Forests provide raw materials for the timber and building industry

What is forest resource management?

Forest resource management is the process of ensuring that a forest ecosystem and its values are
maintained and improved to provide continuous benefit for society and the climate. It involves planning,
taking decisions and implementing these decisions in order to ensure that the vital components of the
forest and the roles they play are not lost over time.
Why is forest resource management important?
Managing forests properly will ensure that their functions and the resources they provide will be
maintained and improved to meet present and future needs. If this can be achieved, it may be called
sustainable forest management (or SFM).

What is SFM?
“FM has ee des ri ed as forestr s o tri utio to sustai a le de elop e t. “ustai a le
development is development that is economically viable, environmentally benign and socially beneficial,
and which balances present and future needs. Achieving sustainable forest management is a long-term
activity involving careful planning. It also involves time and resources input, which can be very costly
initially. However, a number of studies have shown that the benefits of sustainable forest management
far outweigh the cost in the medium to long-term.

It is i porta t to ote that so e people feel that the phrase sustai a le forest a age e t should
ot e used to des ri e urre t a age e t s ste s, as e do t et k o hether they will turn out
to be sustainable. Interactions between the flora (plants) and fauna (animals) in a forest ecosystem are
complex and often poorly understood. The consequences of actions taken today may only show up in 50
to ear s ti e.

Who should be involved in forest resource management?

Forest management needs to involve all the individuals and organisations that have direct and indirect
interest in the future of the forest. These individuals and organisations are normally referred to as
stakeholders. A typical forest estate has five main stakeholder groups: Forest managers: Their interest is
to maintain the quality and quantity of forest resources and the ecosystem in general. In most African
countries, forest managers work for government agencies. They are paid to represent the state, who
have a major interest in the future of the forest, its contribution to the national economy and
environment. Forest managers are in charge of allocating areas for forest harvesting and are responsible
for planning and undertaking forestry activities. Landowners: In Africa landowners range from rural
chiefdoms to individuals and governments. All those who own forest lands have both economic and
cultural interest in the forest. In other words, landowners usually want to benefit economically from the
use of the forest, especially from royalties paid for timber harvesting. At the same time, they may have
an interest in safeguarding their own use of forest resources (e.g. collecting spices, snails, medicines
etc) as well as a cultural interest (e.g. sacred groves). In forest management it is important to identify
and define landowners explicitly to avoid later conflicts. Timber Industry: The timber industry have a
largely economic interest in the forest. They harvest timber and engage in commercial activities based
on sale of wood products. The timber industry is often perceived to be one of the most powerful
stakeholders because they are able to influence decisions over timber harvesting and the use of forest
estates. Forest communities: People living in and around forests are immediately affected by activities
in the forest. In most cases they are the first to suffer from the impact of poor forest management and
over-harvesting. Because they meet their daily needs with fuel, food, construction materials and
medicine from their forest, their livelihoods are inextricably linked with its continued existence and
status. Civil society: Civil society is made up of individuals, groups, and organisations who are only
indirectly affected by the forest in question, but who nevertheless have emotional, recreational or
altruistic interest in forest conservation. They include environmental NGOs such as Greenpeace, Friends
of the Earth, and WWF International. In some African countries, there are national NGOs who promote
civil society interest in forest management. The interest of civil society is to protect the environment
and local communities from being affected by irresponsible forest management and use.

What does SFM involve?

For a forest to be managed sustainably, all users and uses of the forest must: Comply with the law:
Land tenure and use rights, and the right of local communities to non-timber forest products are
protected by national and international forestry laws.Harvest forest products at a rate which does not
e eed the forest s apa it to rege erate itself: this ill i ol e a age e t planning and monitoring,
protecting the forest from illegal activities, Protect the environment: this means that the timber industry
and other stakeholders should minimise harvesting impacts (e.g. avoid destruction of water courses, soil
compaction by vehicles etc.), limit the use of chemicals, manage waste and recycling, and protect
wildlife from illegal hunting,Ensure the well-being of local people: this means that forest stakeholders
who are in a position to provide employment to local people and contribute to local development do so,
whilst recognising their rights and culture

What information is needed in order to achieve SFM?

Using their technical training, and in consultation with relevant research institutions and stakeholders
with local knowledge, forest managers need to develop the following: A complete list of the goods and
services provided by the forest to people A complete list of stakeholders and their interests in the
forest An understanding of the environmental, social and economic impacts of any activity taking place
in the forest and ways in which these impacts can be addressed An understanding of the types of flora
and fauna the forest contains; their diversity, distribution and the complex relationships existing
between them For species that are harvested, the forest manager needs to know how much growth
occurs each year. This information can be used to make sure that harvesting takes place at sustainable
levels – that is, at a level that can be replaced by natural growth. Information on growth and yield levels
for many useful forest flora and fauna has often been collected by research institutions, and is available
to forest managers.

How is this information used to develop an SFM action plan?

Through consultation with forest stakeholders, a list of objectives for a particular forest management
unit is developed. Forest managers can then use the information they have collected to assess how
these objectives can be achieved. The objectives and management activities are then written down in a
forest management plan laying out exactly what is to be done, where, when, why and by whom. A
management plan must clearly specify realistic, measurable, time-bound and achievable objectives, so
that progress towards the objectives can be monitored.
How is the success of the management plan assessed?
The only way to be sure that the management plan is being properly and effectively implemented is to
monitor its implementation. Monitoring needs proper planning too. The monitoring plan needs to
include what needs monitoring, how and when it must be done, who will be responsible, and how the
information will be analysed to help further planning and implementation decisions. Monitoring
procedures must be consistent and repeatable over time so that results can easily be compared.

How are the costs of forest management covered?

In a commercially exploited forest, the long-term benefits of improved management may enable timber
companies to invest in sustainable management systems. National governments may have received
support for forestry management programmes from development agencies like the World Bank or
national European governments. International conservation organisations are now becoming more and
more interested in market-based approaches to conservation where people receive financial rewards
for stewardship of natural resources. When the goal is preservation of a forest for watershed protection,
carbon storage or biodiversity conservation, such approaches are k o as pa e t for e os ste
ser i es PE“ . I PE“, fu di g a o e fro pu li go er e t or pri ate usi ess sour es. For
example, in the Rift-Valley Province of Kenya, the Shompole Community Trust has received funding from
the Ford Foundation, European Union Biodiversity Conservation Program and Timber Trade Federation
to establish a 10,000 ha biodiversity conservation area. Through the Trust, the local community is paid
to provide ecotourism services to the clients of organizations like the Kenya Wildlife Service, African
Conservation Center and Art of Ventures.

How can we make sure that forests are well managed in our country?
What you can do depends on what type of forest stakeholder you are, but there are many activities that
you can get involved in to promote responsible forest management in your country or locality. If you live
near a forest, you could get involved in community forest management. The governments of many
African countries have developed ways to work with people living near forests, and they may be able to
support the process of developing a community forest management plan through a series of community
meetings, the setting up of a management committee, and the signing of official papers to show that
the forest is under community management.

As described above, the first step in community forest management is to gather the people who use the
forest together, discuss how the forest is currently being used, and talk about what they all want from
the forest in future. Make a list of further information that needs to be collected in order to know more
about the state of the forest, who uses it and what they need it for. The people at the meeting elect a
management committee whose first job is to find ways to collect the necessary information. This can be
presented in a report and on a map of the forest showing the different activities that people do in
different places. A government forestry officer or an experienced NGO will be able to advise the
management committee.
At the next meeting, the topic is ways to protect the forest from degradation. One way is to establish
protected forest areas and buffer zones. Everyone agrees to stop using the forest in the protected area,
or use it only at certain times of year and for certain activities. A government forestry officer or an
experienced NGO may be able to advise how big the protected area needs to be, or how several
protected areas can be linked together. In the forest surrounding the protected area, people can
continue to use the forest to help earn their living, but their activities should be monitored so that they
can be managed with rules made to safeguard the forest for the future. All decisions on resource use are
recorded in the community forest management plan, like the one described above.

If you live in the city, the forest may be far from you but bad practices in the forest may have an indirect
effect on you, your family and relatives. Even the next generation of children may well be adversely
affected by bad forest and environmental practices. This is why you may want to get involved in
promoting responsible forest management. And there are varieties of ways of doing this: Signing up to
join as an active member of an NGO campaign group Educating people about the importance of
forests by working with schools and environmental education centres Getting involved in tree-planting
schemes (See Action Sheet 49) Making sure the wood products your family or your workplace
purchase are from well-managed forests (See Action Sheet 48: Forest Product Certification)
Participating in environmental awareness campaigns Calling into radio and TV shows to air your views

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: This Action Sheet was written by chijioke obinna, based on professional
experience and the sources listed below.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

CONTACTS/WEBSITES Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) www.envconsult.org

SCHOOL/DEPT:ABIA STATE UNIVERSITY,UTURU(ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT)

Devolution and Community-based Natural Resource Management:

Creating space for local people to participate to benefit J. Mayers and S. Bass, Policy that Works for
Forests and People: Real prospects for governance and livelihoods. Earthscan, London, 2004

Sustainable Forestry and Forest Certification A. Molnar, Forest Certification and Communities: Looking
forward to the next decade.

Forest Trends, Washington DC, 2003.

Available at www.forest-trends.org S. Higman, J. Mayers, S Bass, Njudd and R. Nussbaum,

The Sustainable Forestry Handbook (2nd ed). Earthscan, London, 2005.

Available to order from www.proforest.net R. Nussbaum and M. Simula, The Forest Certification
Handbook (2nd ed). Earthscan, London, 2005. Available to order from www.proforest.net