Sustainable forest management: global trends and opportunities

Data are reviewed on the extent of global forests, management, protection, certification and ownership, as well as implications for sustainable forest management as defined by the Montreal Process criteria. According to FAO, as of 2000, the world had 3.9 billion hectares (ha) of forests with 187 million ha (5%) in forest plantations. Drawing on additional surveys and our research, we estimate that there were approximately 204 million ha of planted forests as of 2002. Public ownership comprised 87% of the world's total forest area, with the US having the largest share of privately owned forests and almost all forests in Africa being publicly owned. Approximately 1.7 billion ha of forests (43%) were reported to be covered by forest management plans, and 477 million ha (12%) were under formal forest protection decrees or laws. However, the degree of management intensity and forest protection actually realized by these reported data is moot. Forest certification includes 121 million ha (3%) of forests, with 93% of the certification occurring in the Northern Hemisphere, but most of the deforestation occurring in the Southern Hemisphere. The data provide evidence that many countries in the world are trying to achieve sustainable forest management, and certainly are trying to report data that suggest that they are moving toward sustainable forest management goals. The empirical evidence that forests are actually well managed and protected, however, is often lacking. Enhanced sustainable forest management will require better reporting and verification, more areas covered and enhanced implementation of sustainable forest management criteria and indicators in the future.