This brief summarizes the different approaches for the forest inventory needed for the community forestry management plan (CF-MP) were tested to compare their accuracy and efficiency. These approaches included: a) the official method envisioned in the national community forestry guidelines, b) a new type of plot layout called the K-tree method and c) the use of the diameter at breast height (DBH) to height relationship method.

In 2014-15, RECOFTC demonstrated how community forestry in the Asia-Pacific region has great potential to be a pioneer in the drive to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

This comprehensive report is a review of the ‘Strengthening Sustainable Forest Management and Bioenergy Markets to Promote Environmental Sustainability and to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Cambodia’ (SFM) project, summarizing the technical reports prepared by the individuals and organizations involved. The Community-Based Production Forestry (CBPF) Keo Seima project was conducted over several years and made possible by the invaluable contributions of many individuals of various organizations.

Agricultural tractors with attached winches, grapple tongues and log trailers with cranes are the key machines for small-scale forestry work in developed countries. In the near future, a similar role is also foreseen in small-scale community forestry work in Asia and the Pacific.

The introduction and safe use of chainsaws is arguably the biggest improvement in small-scale forestry harvesting. Felling timber with chainsaws can be accomplished over a relatively short period of time while requiring only a small investment – that is, if laws allow the use of this type of machinery and if service providers for training, maintenance and supply of spare parts, as well as additional support, is in place.

Mobile motor winches play an important role in forest harvesting. They are used in situations where winches mounted on tractors and forwarders cannot reach logs or other objects to be moved.

This two-part infographic explains the importance of social equity in forests and the basics on putting it into practice. The infographic defines equity and provides an easy to understand overview of the key elements that will empower forest-dependent communities. Through understanding equity, forest communities will better understand their rights and be prepared to participate in the decision-making process so they gain a fair share of benefits from forest resources.

Wooden chutes for big, heavy timber built with round logs can provide permanent transportation solutions. However, their use in tropical natural forests cannot be generally recommended due to the fact that their construction needs specially trained labor and that extractable volumes are often very low, in most cases not exceeding 20-30 meter (m)3 per harvest cycle.

... This piece of community initiated action research reveals a number of lessons we can learn. The authors try to reflect the challenges of and opportunities for community based natural resources management in a seemingly forgotten Karen controlled area of southern Myanmar. The paper examines a number of case studies including the construction of a local water supply system, the establishment of fish conservation zones and community-driven forest conservation.

Thirty-seven percent of Thailand’s land area of 51 million ha or 19 million ha is covered by forest. Half of Thailand’s 67 million population lives in rural areas, with members of many rural families working in cities or in other off-farm income-generating activities. It is estimated that about 20 percent of Thailand’s villages (12 million people) are located within forest reserve areas. However, Thai state forestry, until relatively recently, focused overwhelmingly on extracting timber and keeping local people away from forests. The recent Constitutions of B.E. 2550 (2007) and B.E.

While community forestry has shown promise to reduce rural poverty, improve reforestation and potentially offset carbon emissions, many projects have failed, either partly or completely.

RECOFTC and partners recently conducted a national-level expert panel discussion in Myanmar on gender mainstreaming in national forestry and REDD+ initiatives.