Forest management

The present book is devoted to dead wood, mainly in forests subjected to minimal management. Despite the focus of the book on sem-natural forests, dead wood is also necessary in managed forests and amounts generally found there ought to be increased. Dead wood and old, hollow trees are essential to a functioning forest ecosystem and necessary for the conservation of a myriad of species including some that are endangered.

This book looks at the current state of the world’s forests and progress towards more sustainable forest conservation globally. It also focuses on how Australia is managing and conserving its own native forests, with topics including forestry protection policies; tree-clearing and logging practices; the debate over native forest logging, including old growth forests; sustainable forestry practices, plantations and certification; and addressing habitat destruction and species loss.

Forests throughout India, and the local communities whose livelihoods depend on them, are under great threat from large commerical enterprises.

Forest certification is widely seen as an important component of strategies for conserving the world"s forests. During the 1990s concern about the loss of biodiversity in logged forests was a key driver behind the emergence of forest certification. It was thought that by adhering to strict standards, production forests could help protecting biodiversity. Forest certification was introduced more than 15 years ago and since then more than 300 million hectares of forests have been certified under a variety of schemes. But does it work?

This edited collection assesses governance in forestry programmes and projects, including REDD+ governance.