Forest Management Activities Research Articles

Timber Harvesting Economics in Early Commercial Thinning and Group Selection Prescriptions

Forest management decisions that consider both short- and long-term objectives are becoming more challenging and costly, due to market uncertainty, labor shortages, and the evolving forest industry. Under such unpredictable circumstances, a better understanding of the production economics of various silvicultural prescriptions is crucial in implementing sound forest management activities. The objectives of this study were to: a) estimate stump to landing productivity and cost for Early Commercial Thinning (ECT) and Group Selection (GS) prescriptions; and b) compare the harvest system cost ($/PMH) using machine rate and PATH (Planning and Analysis in Timber Harvesting) methods. Detailed time-motion studies were conducted in the spruce-fir forest of Northern Maine, USA, during the summer of 2019. The results, as expected, indicated the harvesting costs were 23% higher for ECT (21.08 $/m3) compared to GS (16.32 $/m3). The average productivity of the harvester and forwarder were reduced by 15 and 37%, respectively, for ECT compared to GS. The estimated harvesting system cost ($/PMH) was 4% higher as indicated by PATH compared to machine rate method. Higher operational productivity in GS can be attributed to the larger volume of logs, and shorter travel loaded distance than ECT. These findings can help forest managers make more informed decisions while implementing appropriate silvicultural prescriptions under varying conditions based on management objectives and market conditions.

Factors enhancing and restricting the success of SRA compliance on the FLEGT/VPA initiative in Ghana. Insights from Juaso forest district in Ghana

This study examines the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) between Ghana and the European Union (EU) within the Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade Initiative (FLEGT). The VPA aims to enhance forest governance, reduce deforestation, combat illegal practices, and improve livelihoods of forest fringe communities. The research focuses on the implementation of social responsibility agreements (SRAs) under the VPA framework and identifies factors contributing to their success or presenting challenges. Data collection involved mixed methods, including literature review and a survey of individuals involved in SRAs. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses, including exploratory factor analysis, were conducted. Principal component analysis revealed that accountability, monitoring of implementation and progress of SRAs, and documentation of SRA agreements were key factors contributing to the success of negotiated SRAs, explaining about 68.36 % of success variance. Challenges and constraints were categorized into two main factors: weak community capacity to negotiate SRAs and weak community capacity to enforce compliance, explaining about 71.4 % of challenge variance. The study found that the exclusion of the local SRA committee (LSRAC) from certain decision-making processes affected trust and transparency in calculating SRA benefits. Elite capture of benefits was identified as an issue, as the LSRAC did not conduct sufficient consultations with community members before negotiations. The findings emphasize the importance of including local communities in all forest management activities and call for increased awareness of SRAs, particularly for the LSRAC. The study highlights the need for proper representation of community interests during negotiations and their inclusion in forest management plans.

Ứng dụng GIS và tư liệu viễn thám đánh giá biến động lớp phủ rừng tại vùng đệm Vườn Quốc gia Cát Tiên thuộc địa phận huyện Tân Phú, tỉnh Đồng Nai.

The Cat Tien National Park in the South of Vietnam represents a protected ecological area, it is located in tropical rainforest zone. For assessment of forest cover change in three buffer zones of Cat Tien National Park, namely Nam Cat Tien, Nui Tuong and Phu An at Tan Phu district, satellite images (Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 8 OLI) take in 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020 were used. Land use/land cover were classified by 5 categories using maximum likelihood classifier (MLC) method, result of constructing a key for image classification showed that images without reference data for classification have over 83.50% of map accuracies. After classification, differentiation of forest land use/landcover was analysied in each year. Deforestation and agricultural area reduction took place in 1990 - 2020 period. Besides, study has quantified changes in forest cover during periods: 1990 - 2000, 2000 - 2010 and 2010 - 2020. As a result, findings show that the extents of forest cover have decreased from 5522.22 ha to 2620.98 ha during the period of 1990 - 2020. Maps of forest status as well as changes in forests can be used for forest resource management activities under the Cat Tien National Park management.

Analyzing temporal and spatial forest carbon storage using Google Plus Code: a case study of Zijin Mountain National Forest Park, China.

It is always a challenging job to compare forest resources as there is not a standardized spatial unit with location information. Google Plus Code, the newest alphanumeric geocoding system, uses 20 specifically selected letters and numbers to assign a unique global ID to every cell at different levels of a hierarchical grid system which is established based on latitude and longitude. It can be used as a standardized, unique global geospatial unit to segment, locate, quantitate, evaluate, and compare natural resources with area, boundary, and location information embedded. For this proof-of-concept case study, forest inventory data from 1987, 2002, and 2019 for the Zijin Mountain National Forest Park in Jiangsu Province, China was analyzed based on Google Plus Code grid/cell. This enabled the quantification of carbon storage at each cell allowing for the comparison of estimated carbon storage at same or different locations over time. This methodology is used to quantify the impacts of changing forest conditions and forest management activities on carbon storage with high spatial accuracy through the 32-year study period. Furthermore, this technique could be used for providing technical support and validation of carbon credit quantification and management.

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) marked reliable value of Ulu Muda Forest Reserve

Water resources must be preserved because they are vital for agricultural, industrial, and domestic use, especially in tropical forest regions. Given the importance of the Ulu Muda Forest Reserve to the Kedah state in sustaining paddy cultivation for the country, this study aimed to provide reliable forest classification method and produce Normalized Difference Vegetation Index-Maximum Likelihood Classification of forest density map for Ulu Muda Forest Reserve. Here, the study reports measurements of the satellite remote sensing index for the forest based the image date. The forest recorded NDVI index of 0.72 to 0.98 for high density, NDVI index of 0.61 to 0.71 for moderate and NDVI index of 0.26 to 0.60 for low density area. The index showed higher value, which is comparable with reports of other tropical forest elsewhere. The results were influenced using satellite remote sensing pre-processing, processing, and classification. As a result, based on the satellite image indices approach, upper threshold of the higher density, the forest can exhibit higher capability for sustaining its ecological and hydrological functions. Given that most of the tropical forest biome has sustained this threshold, forest management should be sustained at this state, and more measures should be taken for example increase of protection forest classification in Rancangan Pengurusan Hutan (RPH) that is one of yearly planning report in states of Peninsular Malaysia. In the meantime, Geographical Information System (GIS) capacity should be mandate looking forwards for more utilisation in mapping for planning and projection of forest resource management activities.

Local Level Monitoring Systems in Community Forestry: Challenges, Opportunities and Directions for Future

A recent study has demonstrated that local level monitoring systems, that could encourage learning and adaptiveness in forest management, are poorly developed, and that this presents a constraint to equitable and active management of forests. This paper reviews the contextual factors and emerging concepts of monitoring, and identifies gaps and prospects. Based on lessons gained thus far, strategies for facilitating local level monitoring are also explored.

Participatory action and learning in forest management: A field worker's guidebook for supporting community forest management

The guidebook introduces Participatory Action and Learning (PAL) as an approach for both FUG members and forestry field staff tolearn together to promote active and equitable management of forest. Simply, PAL is about how facilitators and users act together tolearn from experience, and hence continually update the plans and subsequent actions. It is based on the concept of the learning cycle for participatory action research (PAR) used by FRP/DFID funded FFMP, a collaborative research project of Department of International and Rural Development (DIRD), The University of Reading, UK, Livelihoods and Forestry Programme (LFP). It is a unique synthesis of experiences gained through intensive action research in forest management with four forest users groups in the middle hills, while at the same time enriched by the experiences of LFP.

Stakeholder collaboration, adaptive management and social learning: a perspective for community forestry in Nepal

This note highlights the findings of a recent research on Adaptive Collaborative Management (ACM) of forest in which an assessment of ACM situation in eight selected community forestry sites in Nepal is made. The objective of the research is to explore connection between ACM and outcomes in forest condition and livelihoods in different conditions. The research focused on two inter-linked elements: collaboration and adaptive management. In this research, collaboration among various interests groups within FUGs and between FUGs and six different types of stakeholders is assessed in relation to outcomes on forest condition andlivelihoods. Similarly, adaptive management of forest at FUG level is assessed in terms of four key interrelated components, namely: mental models, shared vision, collective learning and systems thinking.The evidences indicate that at all levels, decision-makers have overlooked the complexity and dynamism of the management issues and contexts. They have not only limited appreciation of monitoring the plans as they are put into practice but also limited tendency to challenge their own assumptions in which the plans are based. Forest User Groups (FUGs) as well as their collaborating institutions mostly follow "trial and error" or "unmonitored experiences" approaches to action and learning. As a result, the quality of individual as well as collaborative forest management decisions and actions are seriously affected, leading to sub-optimal outcomes on both forest condition and livelihoods. Key findings on collaboration and adaptive management are summarized also.

Contributions of Community Forestry in Rural Social Transformation: Some Observations From Nepal

This paper examines the contribution of Nepalese Community Forestry in social change process in two central hills districts of Nepal. Analysis of data indicates improvement in forest management, decision making, representation of poor and women in forest management and utilisation, awareness on economic and ecological contributions of forests. Debates and discussionshave increased as regards roles and responsibilities of users as well as mechanisms for gender-sensitive, poverty-focused and equity-based forest management activities. All these factors are contributing to achieve sustainable management of forest resources, to improve the living condition of people and to promote non-coercive social transformation.

Optimal Rotation Age in Fast Growing Plantations: A Dynamical Optimization Problem.

Forest plantations are economically and environmentally relevant, as they play a key role in timber production and carbon capture. It is expected that the future climate change scenario affects forest growth and modify the rotation age for timber production. However, mathematical models on the effect of climate change on the rotation age for timber production remain still limited. We aim to determine the optimal rotation age that maximizes the net economic benefit of timber volume in a negative scenario from the climatic point of view. For this purpose, a bioeconomic optimal control problem was formulated from a system of Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs) governed by the state variables live biomass volume, intrinsic growth rate, and area affected by fire. Then, four control variables were associated to the system, representing forest management activities, which are felling, thinning, reforestation, and fire prevention. The existence of optimal control solutions was demonstrated, and the solutions of the optimal control problem were also characterized using Pontryagin's Maximum Principle. The solutions of the model were approximated numerically by the Forward-Backward Sweep method. To validate the model, two scenarios were considered: a realistic scenario that represents current forestry activities for the exotic species Pinus radiata D. Don, and a pessimistic scenario, which considers environmental conditions conducive to a higher occurrence of forest fires. The optimal solution that maximizes the net benefit of timber volume consists of a strategy that considers all four control variables simultaneously. For felling and thinning, regardless of the scenario considered, the optimal strategy is to spend on both activities depending on the amount of biomass in the field. Similarly, for reforestation, the optimal strategy is to spend as the forest is harvested. In the case of fire prevention, in the realistic scenario, the optimal strategy consists of reducing the expenses in fire prevention because the incidence of fires is lower, whereas in the pessimistic scenario, the opposite is true. It is concluded that the optimal rotation age that maximizes the net economic benefit of timber volume in P. radiata plantations is 24 and 19 years for the realistic and pessimistic scenarios, respectively. This corroborates that the presence of fires influences the determination of the optimal rotation age, and as a consequence, the net economic benefit.

Habitat Diversity, Environmental Conditions, and Distribution of Endangered Fungus Sarcosoma globosum (Ascomycota) in Lithuania.

Sarcosoma globosum (Pezizales, Ascomycota) is a rare and endangered fungus, and it is believed to be extinct in most central European countries. Known records of S. globosum in Lithuania reveal that it is situated on the south-western edge of a shrinking geographical distribution range in Europe. An assessment of the species' current habitat conditions and threats could enhance and provide new knowledge and guidelines to facilitate the efficient conservation of this threatened fungus and its habitats. The main aim of this study was to analyse the habitats and environmental conditions of S. globosum in Lithuania. We examined the diversity of habitats, various soil and tree stand characteristics, forest management activities, and natural disturbances in all 28 known fungus localities. S. globosum habitats in Lithuania are restricted to coniferous forests with the presence of Picea abies; the species was observed in boreo-nemoral bilberry western spruce taiga (the European Nature Information System habitat type T3F14), continental tall-herb western spruce taiga (T3F44), and native fir, spruce, larch, and cedar plantations (T3N1). An analysis of forest stand age structures in Lithuanian S. globosum localities revealed a rather large proportion of young Norway spruce stands of cultural origin (25.6% of study plots were assigned to age classes from 21 to 50 years); nevertheless, the majority of fungus growth sites were situated in older forests. Various natural and anthropogenic disturbances that threaten S. globosum habitats were assessed.

Cascading impacts of overstory structure in managed forests on understory structure, microclimate conditions, and Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) densities.

Forest management practices designed to meet varied landowner objectives affect wildlife habitat and may interrupt the life-cycle stages of disease vectors, including the black-legged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say (Acari: Ixodidae). Ixodes scapularis transmits multiple pathogens including Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, which is the most common tick-borne disease in the United States. There is evidence that a range of active forest management practices (e.g., invasive plant removal, prescribed burning) can alter tick densities and pathogen transmission. However, few studies have investigated relationships between forest stand structural variables commonly manipulated by timber harvesting and tick ecology. Foresters may harvest timber to create certain forest structural conditions like the mean number of trees, or basal area, per hectare. This study used a spatially replicated experiment in a blocked design to compare forest stands with a range of overstory structures and document variations in the midstory, understory, and forest floor, as well as microclimate conditions within tick off-host habitat. Greater numbers of trees or basal area per hectare correlated with greater canopy closure but less understory cover, stabilized microclimate temperature, higher microclimate humidity, and greater I. scapularis nymph densities. A random forest model identified understory forest structure as the strongest predictor of nymph densities. There was no relationship between the number of trees or basal area per hectare and daily deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmermann) activity or nymphal infection prevalence. These findings provide a deeper understanding of tick-habitat associations within a forest stand and have the potential to inform forest management decisions.

Responses of Fine Root Morphological and Chemical Traits among Branch Orders to Forest Thinning in Pinus massoniana Plantations

Fine roots play an essential role in biogeochemical cycling in forest ecosystems; however, little is known about the response of fine root morphology and chemistry in different root orders to forest management activities such as forest thinning. We investigated the fine root morphological and chemical traits in different root orders of Pinus massoniana under different thinning intensities, namely no thinning, low-intensity thinning (LIT), middle-intensity thinning (MIT), and high-intensity thinning (HIT) (0%, 25%, 45%, and 65% of individual trees eliminated, respectively). We found that forest thinning increased the root diameter (RD) of absorptive roots and decreased that of transport roots, while the trend for the specific root length (SRL) was the opposite. LIT and MIT could increase specific surface area (SSA), especially the SSA of absorptive roots in the MIT treatment. The root tissue density (RTD) of all root sequences in the LIT treatment decreased but increased in the HIT treatment. For the fine root chemical traits, thinning increased the root carbon concentration (RCC) of absorptive roots. The root nitrogen concentration (RNC) and root phosphorus concentration (RPC) of first- to fourth-order roots increased in the LIT and MIT treatments after thinning. Meanwhile, thinning increased root lignin, cellulose, and non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) concentrations. Soil temperature, nitrate, and microbial biomass carbon were factors affecting variations in fine root morphology and chemistry. Forest thinning was likely to shift the absorptive roots’ foraging strategy into a resource-conserving one. Thinning increased fine root chemical traits in most root orders. These findings contributed to our ability to predict how belowground ecological processes are mediated by fine roots under forest management activities.

Detection and Analysis of Forest Clear-Cutting Activities Using Sentinel-2 and Random Forest Classification: A Case Study on Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea

This study provides the methodology for the development of sustainable forest management activities and systematic strategies using national spatial data, satellite imagery, and a random forest machine learning classifier. This study conducts a regional province-scale approach that can be used to analyze forest clear-cutting in South Korea; we focused on the Chungcheongnam-do region. Based on spatial information from digital forestry data, Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, random forest (RF) classifier, and digital forest-type maps (DFTMs), we detected and analyzed the characteristics of clear-cut areas. We identified forest clear-cut areas (accounting for 2.48% of the total forest area). The methodology integrates various vegetation indices and the RF classifier to ensure the effective detection of clear-cut areas at the provincial level with an accuracy of 92.8%. Specific leaf area vegetation index (SLAVI) was determined as the most important factor for accurately detecting clear-cut areas. Moreover, using a DFTM, we analyzed clear-cutting characteristics in different forest types (including private, national, natural, and planted forests), along with age class and diameter-at-breast-height class. Our method can serve as a basis for forest management and monitoring by analyzing tree-cutting trends in countries with forest areas, such as Republic of Korea.

Beyond Ostrom: Randomized experiment of the impact of individualized tree rights on forest management in Ethiopia

We argue that while community forest management is effective in protecting forest resources, as argued by Ostrom, such management may fail to provide the proper incentives to nurture such resources because the benefits of forest management are collectively shared. This study proposes a mixed private and community management system characterized by communal protection of community-owned forest areas and individual management of individually owned trees as a desirable arrangement for timber forest management in developing countries. By conducting a randomized experiment in Ethiopia, we found that the mixed management system significantly stimulated intensive forest management activities, including pruning, guarding, and watering. Furthermore, more timber trees and forest products were extracted from the treated areas, which are byproducts of tree management (e.g., thinned trees and pruned branches). In contrast, the extracted volumes of non-timber forest products unrelated to tree management (fodder and honey) did not change with the intervention.

Recent tree diversity increase in NE Iberian forests following intense management release: A task for animal‐dispersed and drought‐tolerant species

Abstract Under increasing human‐related threats to forests, many studies suggest that increasing tree species diversity may boost forest resilience by enhancing the range of species' responses to disturbances. However, it remains unclear whether passive or active forest management strategies should be applied to increase tree diversity. This issue would benefit from investigating which management and environmental factors, together with species' functional traits, influence temporal changes in tree species diversity. We explored the influence of the bioclimatic region, land‐use history, forest cover, protection, management, forest structure and changes in temperature and precipitation, to explain tree species diversity changes in NE Iberian forests, by comparing 3141 plots from the Spanish National Forest Inventory sampled between 1989 and 2016. Moreover, we assessed which species' functional traits (dispersal habit, drought and shade tolerance) were most relevant for diversity changes. After 27 years, tree species richness and diversity moderately increased in the tree and regeneration layers. This trend occurred mostly in long‐established, non‐recently managed forests and in those with a lower initial basal area. Increasing temperature had negative effects for diversity increase in the tree layer but positive for the regeneration compartment, while decreasing precipitation showed the opposite effects. Tree species with higher drought tolerance, and especially those animal‐dispersed ones arriving from the regional pool, mostly contributed to the local diversity increase. This pattern occurred in all forest types, although the taxonomic array of species varied. Synthesis and applications. The main drivers influencing the passive increase in tree species diversity suggest a primary role of diminishing forest exploitation in this recovery process, fine‐tuned by climatic changes. This ecological scenario has particularly favoured animal‐dispersed tree species with higher drought tolerance, which mostly led the diversity increase. A higher presence of such highly mobile and drought‐tolerant species can be crucial to increase functional diversity and, ultimately, increase forest resilience under future scenarios of greater aridity. In light of these results, management strategies should continue fostering the restoration of diversity in once intensively exploited forests while ensuring the maintenance of the already gained tree species diversity.

Factors Explaining the Willingness of Small-Scale Private Forest Owners to Engage in Forestry—A German Case Study

In Germany, 24% of the forest area is owned by small-scale private forest owners, whose property is affected by a societal demand for forest-related ecosystem services. In the inhomogeneous group of small-scale private forest owners, different living conditions and lifestyles exist, which are affecting the management of the forest ownership. To support the management activities of small-scale private forest owners, institutional instruments exist, but these are only used by a small proportion of forest owners. In order to gain insights into the accessibility and activation of small-scale private forest owners for management, and to draw conclusions for appropriate support instruments, a large number of studies have analyzed the factors influencing the management activities of forest owners. Some studies identify socio-demographic and socio-economic variables as important influencing factors, but do not take into account their complex interdependencies, which have developed as a result of the pluralization of lifestyles and individualization of forest owners. For this reason, in addition to the influencing factors identified in the literature as relevant for forest management activities of small-scale private forest owners, the lifestyle segmentation approach of Sinus milieus established in German market research was applied in this study. This approach allocates forest owners based on their complex lifestyles into ten different milieu groups. A logistic regression analysis was used to determine the parameters influencing the willingness to engage in eight different forest management activities. The results show that the willingness to engage in forest management activities in the future is higher compared to actions in the past. In addition to timber harvesting-related activities, the small-scale private forest owners show a high action potential for non-commodity-related activities. Non-commodity-related activities can primarily be explained by the Sinus milieu affiliation of the small-scale private forest owners. This result underlines the usefulness of a lifestyle segmentation approach such as the Sinus milieus to address small-scale private forest owners in a target group specific way in line with their willingness to engage in specific forest management activities. Institutional instruments such as the membership in a forest owners association or subsidies do not play a significant role for non-commodity-related activities and seem to be inappropriate for targeting small-scale private forest owners for these activities. Timber harvesting-related activities are primarily influenced by the presence of professional foresters, socio-demographic factors or institutional instruments. Based on these empirical findings, implications can be drawn for the target group-specific addressing of forest owners based on different management activities. In this way, forest owners can be motivated to engage in forest management and the provision of forest-related ecosystem services.

Understanding small‐scale private forest owners is a basis for transformative change towards integrative conservation

Abstract Balancing societal demands on forests is a major challenge in current forest management. Small‐scale private forest owners are an important ownership group that is rarely addressed directly in this discussion. Our study aims to identify and differentiate between private forest owner groups. Based on this, we take a systemic approach and determine leverage points that can be used to foster transformative change towards integrative conservation‐oriented forest management. We conducted a survey of 1656 small‐scale private forest owners in northwest Germany within a typical European multi‐ownership landscape and formed three clusters based on their activities. While all groups generally perceived nature conservation as important, they differed with regard to their forest management activities. Multiple‐use‐oriented forest owners (45%) were most active, including in terms of conservation measures. Conservation‐oriented owners (25%) mainly focused on passive measures, and conventional owners (30%) showed only a little engagement with conservation‐related activities. Despite the differences, common instruments promoting conservation activities were identified. They included, for example on‐site consultation, information about legal regulations and financial incentives. Based on four system characteristics (parameters, feedback, design and intent), we identified leverage points towards transformative change. The deep and thus effective leverage points are changing the discourse, accounting for the heterogeneity of private forest owners as well as for uncertainty related to climate change and adapting measures to local contexts. Furthermore, working towards increasing awareness, knowledge and interest as well as accounting for the desire for autonomy and control are promising pathways for change. A holistic transformation of forest policy and management towards integrative conservation is urgently needed to meet the current challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and timber demand. This transformation has to go beyond the adaptation of existing policy instruments and instead focus on systematic and cross‐sectoral changes in the underlying policy orientation, its design and its implementation. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Connecting forest management priorities and social preferences for Aleppo Pine ecosystem services

ABSTRACT Aleppo Pine forests provide several ecosystem services for the local population as well as for the society in Tunisia. Knowing the citizens’ preferences is crucial to guide forest management strategies. This study aims to determine the social demand for key benefits provided by forests using the choice experiment modelling. Results show a high social awareness of the benefits derived from forests suggesting that citizens are willing to support forest management activities, especially for promoting the local economy.

Private forest owners' organizations adherence to policy tools. Insights from Portugal

To ensure sustainable forest management, public authorities have been working on the creation of policy tools to stimulate private forest owners' cooperation and active forest management. The effectiveness of these policy tools depends on their adoption and private forest owners' organizations (PFOO) are interlocutors with a crucial role. Hence, it is important to comprehend the acceptance level, the main reasons for adherence, and whether the benefits of cooperation are made possible by these policy tools. Although the literature recognizes the relevance of PFOO, their acceptance and perception about forest policies and particularly, policy tools, is still not completely unravelled. For this purpose, an exploratory study based on primary data collected by means of an online survey was conducted in Portugal. All the Portuguese PFOO registered were contacted, with a response rate of 47%.Results show that 54% of PFOO inquired are currently managing entities of at least one forestland area working under the rules of these policy tools and 49.2% are working on new managing arrangements. The most adopted arrangement is the Forest Intervention Zone, while the newly created Integrated Areas of Landscape Management reveals the greatest dynamism concerning new agreements. The most frequent reasons justifying the adherence were the need to create scale, forest owners' interest in those arrangements, and motives related to monetary support, namely, the facilitated access to funds and the monetary support from central government. Moreover, PFOO recognize that their activity results in a high number of benefits, some of them enhanced by the adherence to policy tools. Thus, besides being important for joint representation of owners' interests and in accessing services for forest management, PFOO are crucial for the implementation of actions underlying the policy tools. Particularly for fragmented forest areas, facing population ageing and less active forest management, in a context of accelerating climate and biodiversity crises, PFOO may be a fundamental part of the success of public policy tools towards sustainable forest management.