Work and Sustainable Forest Management

Abstract

AbstractThe chapter stretches from forest utilization over time to the work applied for it and to the benefits for the forest users, particularly employment. In pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial times there was non-industrial forest utilization, including hunting and gathering, shifting cultivation, and the use of non-timber forest products, woodfuels, and construction materials. Subsistence economy was followed by forest exploitation, for industrial timber, at first primarily precious woods, but often even more for non-timber forest products. Shifting cultivation has increased. Forest land is converted to other land uses, in particular to agroforestry, agriculture, and plantations of oil palm and other crop trees. The conversion of land use is the main driver for forest destruction today.Attempts of sustainable forest management for harvesting timber from natural forests have not been successful, in spite of promising attempts, including silvicultural treatments, certification, and reduced impact harvesting. Therefore, there is a growing share of degraded secondary forests. Timber retrieval from natural forests is mostly done under concessions, so that concession holders are the responsible employers of forest workers. More and more wood is produced in plantation forests that should not be established by conversion of natural forests.Employment and income are the main potential benefits from work in the tropical forests. Most of the employment is in informal work relations, but much more work is done in self-employment, in small-scale forest utilization and use of trees outside forests, applying a range of agroforestry practices. Production of woodfuel, including charcoal, plays a major role.A great part of the world’s population is living in or around forests, many people are depending on forest resources for their living. All forest utilization is based on work. Different tasks are performed during all forms of utilization, under mostly harsh working conditions. Time allocation studies reveal the input of working time for the different tasks, of the forest users in self-employment. Job profiles are tools for description of the individual working situations, of forest workers.KeywordsForest utilizationPrecious woodsForest exploitationNon-timber forest productsWoodfuelsDeforestation driversForest certificationReduced impact loggingSustainability dimensionsPlantation forestryInformal employmentSocial benefitsJob profilesTime allocation