New frontiers of forest economics

•The need of new frontiers of forest economics (neFFE) is discussed.•The neFFE will need a never ending fabrication on new and venturous theories.•The neFFE will include multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches.•The neFFE should incorporate and integrate various streams of economics.•The neFFE will answer the unanswered questions by developing new models and methods.

This special issue of Forest Policy and Economics is based on the papers presented and discussions held at the International Conference on the New Frontiers of Forest Economics, June 26–30, 2012 held at ETH, Zurich, Switzerland. This paper discusses the need of new frontiers of forest economics, provides an overview of the special issue, and presents thoughts about new frontiers. The paper suggests that all knowledge of forest economists is conjectural, and without the competition of contradictorily theories forest economics sinks into intellectual poverty. The progress of forest economics will need a never ending fabrication on new and venturous theories for solving problems and strong attempts to refute, to critically assess and discuss, and to test empirically the new theories. The paper discusses three areas for new frontiers of forest economics — integration of sciences using multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches, incorporation and integration of various streams of economics, and answering the unanswered questions by developing new models and methods.