International Conference on Tropical Wood (ICTW 2024) Advancing the sustainable use of tropical Forests

Residents living adjacent to forests commonly gather non-timber forest products (NTFPs) for income, nourishment, ailment treatment, firewood, religious reasons, and artefacts. This study investigates local perceptions of the commercialisation and value addition of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in forest-adjacent communities in Ghana. NTFPs are integral to food security and cultural practices. However, more is needed to know about local perceptions of these products' commercialisation and value addition. In this study, we collected data using a qualitative research approach through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with community members involved in NTFP collection and sales. To determine which NTFPs are collected, we interviewed 732 residents about their perception of value addition to the NTFPs collected and if value addition has impacted the commercialisation and quality of the products obtained from the forest. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data for the study. From the survey, frequencies and percentages of responses were analysed for each indicator related to value addition and commercialisation of NTFPs. The study found that 97.5% of those surveyed frequently visited the forest to gather different NTFPs. For example, mushrooms, snails, honey, and others were the most collected. Also, most interviewees do not process or add value to the NTFPs collected from the forest; thus, adding value to these NTFPs could increase incomes in the future. The findings indicate that locals have a variety of perceptions and understandings about commercialisation and value-addition processes. The study emphasises the importance of understanding local perceptions to develop effective strategies for the commercialisation and value addition of NTFPs. By incorporating the perceptions and insights of locals, interventions can be tailored to meet the needs and aspirations of forest-adjacent communities and promote sustainable resource management and equitable distribution of benefits. Future research should focus on educating locals about the value addition to NTFPs, and processes for increasing the price of NTFPs by adding value and commercialising these products. Proper commercialising of NTFPs may well help improve the lives of the locals.

Opportunities for REDD+ to minimise forest carbon emissions and mitigate climate change in Southeast Asia

Interest in Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) has grown with increasing awareness of tropical forest deforestation and amplified recognition for the need to add value to forest resources. However, NTFPs continue to be regarded by many as marginal goods incapable of competing with timber as a viable economic alternative use of tropical and subtropical forests. In Mexico, several NTFPs are exploited in various ecosystems helping conserve forested areas, providing “the poor” access to cash in moments of uncertainty and relieving pressure on timber resources. Nonetheless, the benefit for conservation is highly debated and remains undecided as yet. NTFP proponents suggest that the development of commercial enterprises can be of significant benefit for forest users by providing a direct link between producers and markets, organizing markets as well as the development of infrastructure. This thesis explores actors’ practices to understand the different forms of organization, processes of interaction and negotiation between actors involved in the use and commercialization of NTFPs. The analysis of these practices seen through observation and accounts of the actors’ life-histories, everyday practices, the arrangement of individual actions within different production and commercial activities, serve to elucidate the multiple facets/aspects of different actors in the market for NTFPs in diverse commercial, social, economic and political arenas. By doing so, this thesis captures the experiences of actors in the Chamaedorea market; an important NTFP product marketed worldwide. These experiences are fundamental in answering the main research question: How are Chamaedorea palm commercial initiatives built in Veracruz, Mexico, and what are the main limitations for their consolidation and access to the markets? Focusing primarily on the analysis of key actors in the Mexican market, from production up until the export market, this thesis offers a detailed account of how diverse efforts to access markets are constructed and argues that it is important to focus on organizing practices and problem-solving capabilities of actors, needed to circumvent bottle-necks in the design and development of NTFP firms, a point often ignored or taken for granted in the literature on NTFPs. Taking on an actor-oriented perspective, detailed ethnographies and actor’s life-stories introduce actors’ struggles and various arrangements/strategies in establishing firms, yielding an interesting insight that would be unnoticeable if these processes developed smoothly. The contribution of this thesis to the debate on how NTFPs firms are constructed and maintained, proposes a reconsideration of NTFPs policy initiatives in developing markets and enhancing benefits to forest users, a major nuisance of current NTFPs policies worldwide.

IUFRO's 125th Anniversary Congress was held in Freiburg, Germany, 18-22 September 2017. This event highlighted the framework of cooperation development in the field of forestry science. This paper stresses the importance of forest-related scientific research as the basis for sustainable development of forests worldwide. These studies play an irreplaceable role in deepening the understanding a wide variety of environmental, economic and social issues pertaining to forests. Therefore, developing cooperation among forestry researchers is of high societal value. In order to accomplish long-term sustainable development goals, forest researchers must also incorporate knowledge concerning biological, economic and social conditions within forests. In addition, the history of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) development was overviewed. The trends of forestry and the ways researchers' international cooperation increases the efficiency of studies was analyzed. Attention was paid to issues of IUFRO cooperation in the field of research and scientific knowledge dissemination among policy-makers, environmental and economic decision-makers. The features of IUFRO activity aimed at forest policy formulation and implementation in accordance with the requirements of the concept of sustainable forest management are revealed. Attention was focused on the problems that led to the creation of IUFRO, as well as its wide-ranging (organizational, publishing, educational, etc.) activities. IUFRO activities have achieved significant results in deepening understanding of forest ecosystem functioning, fulfilling of a wide range of functions including the provision of ecosystem services, preventing numerous destructive threats, showing the essence of multipurpose forestry and the methods of sustainable non-exhaustive forest management. Although new challenges have emerged as a result of societal transformations, the dramatic changes in the forestry sector have also led to interdisciplinary research cooperation development and new technologies implementation, especially in the field of communication. This paper discusses main themes, outcomes, achievements, new frontiers for forestry science and the take-home message of the IUFRO 125th Anniversary Congress. The paper also summarizes the outcomes of Ukrainian researchers'participation at this Congress: representative institutions, themes of presentations, co-organized session discussions etc. The themes, results, achievements, new frontiers and prospects for of forestry science development are analyzed. The results of Ukrainian scientists'participation in the work of the 125th Anniversary IUFRO Congress are summarized.

The study evaluated the contributions of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) to household income and food security in the adjoining villages of Gambari forest reserve Nigeria. Stratified random sampling was used to select respondents among the community members. 141 copies of questionnaires were administered among consumers and marketers of NTFPs. The data obtained were subjected to descriptive statistics, t-test and rate of return on investment (RORI). Results indicate that 61.7% of the marketers were involved in NTFPs marketing on full time basis and 63.12% of them were females. Ten important NTFPs were found to contribute to food in -take and income in the area. Sixty one percent of the respondents obtained the products from the forest. Vegetables are consumed with 45.4% of their meals on a year round basis. The contributions of NTFPs to household income amount to 68.1% of total monthly income. The difference in monthly income generated from NTFPs and other sources is significant (p < 0.05). Fuel wood is used by 46.09 % of the respondents as a source of energy for cooking and preserving foods. It is recommended that important NTFPs be integrated into the traditional farming system so as to enhance sustainable supplies. The NTFPs should also be developed in terms of value addition in order to promote efficient resource utilization. Also, proper inventory of the forest should be carried out to assess the stocking level and determine potential yield to guard against over-exploitation. Journal of Environmental Extension Vol. 6 2007: pp. 28-33

Sustainable forest management aims to maintain and enhance the economic, social and environmental value of all types of forests, for the benefit of present and future generations. In Swaziland, despite the existence of numerous local, national, regional and international policies and legislation, sustainable forest management is far fetched. The objective of this paper was to review previous studies on policy reviews, the current status of the non-timber forest products (NTFP) sector, community consultations on resource use and management, user surveys to determine the actual quantities of harvested and utilized edible and medicinal NTFPs, and economic analyses for their direct use value, and inventory and economic valuation of standing stock of various NTFPs. Ulimatelty, this paper has made policy recommendations for the development of a theoretical framework for the sustainable management of NTFPs at the local, national, regional and international levels. This theoretical framework is divided into a set of eleven strategies. These are: Information and social communication; secure rights and access to products from natural forests and woodlands; adoption of innovative policies, revising and updating legislation and elaborating national forestry programmes; development and implementation of national level criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management; project planning and control techniques; local level guidelines for sustainable NTFP management; conservation and financing mechanisms; collaboration and networking between all institutions involved in research and development of NTFPs; institutional strengthening and capacity building; education and training at all levels of community structures; and research and development. Key words: Non-timber forest products (NTFPs), policy, strategy, policies, legislation, economic valuation, sustainable management, assessment, sustainable resource use.

This paper provides a comparison of current visions, missions and strategies of three international forest research organizations: European Forest Institute (EFI), Center for International Forest Research (CIFOR) and International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO). Against the background of theoretical conceptions of visions, missions and strategies, a qualitative tabular content analysis is applied. A special focus lies on the thematic work areas of the organizations and their connection to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Visions and missions provide an important guidance for employees and other people in the organization, but also for communication to outsiders. Within strategies, Non-Profit Organizations can define their mission and vision as well as strategic goals. Recent missions and visions of EFI, CIFOR and IUFRO are analyzed with a textual analysis, while for their strategies a summarizing content analysis is used. The comparison discloses differences between the three organizations with regard to their orientation towards societal impact and/or advancement of science. However, all of them strive for improving living conditions for people. CIFOR clearly focuses on the SDGs and covers all of them, while IUFRO and EFI do this only partially. Except for doublings, EFI and IUFRO together address 12 SDGs out of 17 SDGs. This finding is especially important in the light of the current cooperation between EFI and IUFRO. Both organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2019, where they claim to account for achieving the SDGs by strengthening the role of forest conservation and sustainable forest management.

With conifer plantations having an increasingly important role in meeting the fiber needs of society, an understanding of the effect of silvicultural practices on wood quality is critical. The perception of wood quality varies, making it hard to define in a single statement; however, possibly the most succinct definition is “a measure of the aptness of wood for a given use”. In general, properties that have a positive influence on a specific product assist in defining changes in wood quality. Since wood properties exhibit large variability within annual rings, within trees, and among trees in a stand, and have both genetic and environmental components (i.e., vary with different physiographical regions), it is imperative to have an understanding of wood properties at multiple levels. In this paper, we review the typical variation patterns in wood properties of conifers, with specific emphasis on loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.), and radiata pine (Pinus radiata D.Don), two of the most common conifer plantation species globally. We also describe the impact of conventional silvicultural treatments on wood quality. Modeling efforts to predict variation in wood properties within trees, and in response to silvicultural treatments are also summarized.

Key message Using laser scanning and industrial data, we found that over 70% of wood quality variability occurred within Norway spruce ( Picea abies H. Karst) trees. The most important wood quality predictors were stem size, crown vigor, and growth rate inferred from laser scans. Random Forest models based on the laser-scanned features captured 25% of the industrially measured wood quality variability with 39.9% RMSE on average. The low crown plasticity of Norway spruce introduced biological constraints to laser scanning-based wood quality modeling. Context Wood quality models that also predict wood and timber properties in addition to size and growth variables are essential for increasing the precision of forest management and forest use, yet they remain notoriously untransferable. Laser scanning offers a powerful tool for their parameterization, but its ability to capture the within-tree variability of wood quality is still poorly understood in many species. Aims Our aim was to test whether multi-viewpoint laser scanning can capture within-tree gradients of wood quality in Norway spruce trees ( Picea abies H. Karst.), thereby enabling more robust and transferable models. Methods We analyzed 479 mature Norway spruce trees, combining handheld and airborne laser scanning with industrial wood quality data. We modeled 18 industrially relevant variables related to log geometry, heartwood, knottiness, and timber strength IP value against laser-scanned features at stand, tree, and log levels. Results Most wood quality variability (73%) occurred within trees. Log-level laser features explained 25% of the variation across stands and log types in the test data, with average RMSEs of 39.9%. The most stable predictions were obtained for heartwood ring width, heartwood density, and knot percentage. Conclusion Overall, external crown and stem attributes captured key growth responses but failed to robustly represent most wood quality factors in Norway spruce. These results underscore biological constraints in laser scanning-based wood quality modeling depending on the species-specific adaptiveness of the crown structure to the environment.

Despite the importance of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) for local livelihoods in tropical countries and the increasing attention for biodiversity-ecosystem services relationships, it remained unclear how the ecosystem service of NTFP provisioning is related to plant diversity. Although it is generally assumed that plant diversity is positively related to ecosystem services, this had not been assessed for NTFP provisioning. We applied bivariate and multiple regression models to explore the relationships between the abundance of 58 commercially relevant NTFP species and woody plant diversity across 287 plots of tropical forests in Northern Suriname. We found that NTFP abundance showed both positive and negative relationships to plant diversity indicators. In contrast to expectations, NTFP abundance was negatively related to woody species richness. In addition, across the plots disproportionately few (2–6) NTFP species determined >50% of NTFP abundance. The occurrence and the identity of these ‘NTFP oligarchs’ was associated to specific floristic compositions. Overall, more than half, i.e. 55.9%, of the observed variation in NTFP abundance could be explained by a combination of taxonomic and structural plant diversity indicators. Our case study findings are relevant for conservation policies in general. In most countries NTFPs are not on the agenda of governments and current tropical conservation policies often focus on forests with high species richness and/or carbon stocks. Our findings indicate that current policies may not cover valuable forests in terms of high NTFP abundance. To support sustainable NTFP provisioning, additional conservation efforts would need to include those vegetation types with high NTFP abundance.

The following chapter shows, for the example of Ecuador, how a combination of conservation payments to protect the existing natural forest, subsidies to re-establish pastures on abandoned lands and forestry measures (reforestation of abandoned lands and sustainable low-impact management of parts of the natural forest) can lead to the sustainable use and conservation of tropical forests. The means toward this goal are provided by an integrative and risk-sensitive land-use model on the landscape scale, in which all available land-use options are considered simultaneously to make use of synergies. Subsidies to encourage the re-establishment of pastures on abandoned lands mitigate land scarcity, as a consequence of which agricultural prices go down and the pressure on natural forests is relieved. The landscape approach described here demonstrates the feasibility of halting the deterioration of tropical mountain rain forests and its ecosystem services. It is, however, based on a somewhat still theoretical and general model, which needs further refinement to be applicable on a more local scale.

PurposeThis current review examines the scientific literature report on non-timber forest products (NTFPs) commercialisation and forest conservation in different jurisdictions.Design/methodology/approachA systematic review using Scopus-indexed articles on NTFP commercialisation and forest conservation was done using the PRISMA framework.FindingsThe review categorised the factors influencing the commercialisation of NTFPs and forest conservation into five broad factors and sub-factors: socioeconomic, market-based, ecosystem, cultural and institutional factors. The scholarly publications on NTFP commercialisation and forest conservation have been undulating, with two years recording no publication on the subject matter under review. Besides, China and India in Asia are leading in the number of publications on NTFPs’ commercialisation. The review revealed ambivalence and symbiotic relationship among the factors influencing the commercialisation of NTFPs and forest conservation. Specifically, tenure arrangement, strict regulations to forest entry, market information asymmetry, bureaucracy in certification acquisition, seasonality and distance were identified as barriers to NTFPs’ commercialisation. While market demands for NTFPs increased, NTFPs’ prices and unsustainable harvesting activities were threats to forest conservation. Policymakers should focus on safeguarding customary property rights and indigenous knowledge in forest conservation, designing workable capacity-building schemes for NTFP entrepreneurs and reducing the cost and processes in certification acquisition.Originality/valueThere are reviews on NTFPs’ commercialisation and livelihoods, but a synergy between NTFPs’ commercialisation and forest conservation for forest policy direction is yet to be done in the literature. Also, while earlier studies systematically reviewed literature on NTFPs’ commercialisation, they did not relate the studies to forest conservation.

The use and commercialization of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) for livelihood development and their adverse impact on forest ecosystems have received significant academic attention recently. To conserve forests and ensure continued livelihood support, it is essential to harvest NTFPs in a sustainable manner. Thus, efforts to conserve such resources must be preceded by understanding how communities interact with them. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between participation in forest conservation and income earned from forests. The primary data were collected via a socio-economic survey of 151 households residing adjacent to Loita Forest in Kenya. The population in the study area extracts NTFPs, such as firewood, natural medicine, building poles, and honey. There is a positive relationship between participation in forest conservation efforts and income earned from the sale of NTFPs. Thus, the Loita Community Forest is a crucial source of essential NTFPs for adjacent households’ subsistence. Therefore, these households should be encouraged to participate more in forest conservation efforts. Such endeavors would facilitate livelihood development of local communities and sustainable management of forests in Kenya.

The use and commercialization of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) for livelihood development and their adverse impact on forest ecosystems have received significant academic attention recently. To conserve forests and ensure continued livelihood support, it is essential to harvest NTFPs in a sustainable manner. Thus, efforts to conserve such resources must be preceded by understanding how communities interact with them. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between participation in forest conservation and income earned from forests. The primary data were collected via a socio-economic survey of 151 households residing adjacent to Loita Forest in Kenya. The population in the study area extracts NTFPs, such as firewood, natural medicine, building poles, and honey. There is a positive relationship between participation in forest conservation efforts and income earned from the sale of NTFPs. Thus, the Loita Community Forest is a crucial source of essential NTFPs for adjacent households’ subsistence. Therefore, these households should be encouraged to participate more in forest conservation efforts. Such endeavors would facilitate livelihood development of local communities and sustainable management of forests in Kenya.

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) contribute significantly to the livelihood, food, and nutrition security of rural communities and forest dwellers. Earlier studies on NTFPs emphasized the economic importance, sustainability aspects, and commercialization of NTFPs, and highlighted the importance of strong value chains if NTFPs were to fulfill their economic potential for communities and people who rely on them. Formulation of proper policy and commercialization of NTFPs through their value chain will require a thorough review of existing research to identify the policy loopholes. A review of literature sought to determine whether research on NTFPs links to sustainable livelihood, policy, and value chains using clustering and visual network visualization. The results of the study reveal four domain clusters indicating a mix of traditional and evolved approaches toward strengthening of the NTFP value chain. Policy issues on NTFP have also evolved as one of the important clusters of research. The study recommends the mapping of value chains in the NTFP research to guide the pursuit of holistic and sustainable livelihood security.