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…

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,…

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…

This report presents a political-economic analysis of
land governance at the regional level, focusing on the
Mekong Region
The primary emphasis is on Cambodia,
Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV), but the paper also
takes into account the regional role and land…

Myanmar is undergoing a major transition, opening space for significant change for the first time in decades. Secure land tenure for smallholder farmers and rural communities is essential in a heavily agrarian nation like Myanmar, where millions in the rural population – nearly 70% of the…

Building on a very successful previous strategic phase, RECOFTC’s new Strategic Plan (2013-2018) has completed its first year with many exciting outcomes. RECOFTC's Annual Report 2013-2014 highlights progress in our four thematic areas: Securing Community Forestry; Enhancing Livelihoods and…

Forests worldwide are home to approximately 1.3 billion people and must cater to the multiple needs of people - from providing local goods and services (access to income, food, clean water, wood energy, construction materials, fertile soils, medicinal and cosmetic products, and recreation) to…

This article from the World Forestry Congress Proceeding aims to inform policy makers and other key stakeholders about issues and concerns of grassroots stakeholders with regards to REDD+ policy and program development. The lessons shared here are generated from REDD+ capacity development at…

Asia-Pacific is a forest conflict hotspot as too often forest governance and management excludes the interests and values of local and indigenous people, who see their rights increasingly diminished as the allocation of forestland to private sector entities and conservation areas intensifies.…

Community forestry (CF) has been seen as an optimal method for dealing with the many challenges facing forests in Asia-Pacific region. Many stakeholders, however, are questioning whether CF is proving to be an effective way to improve the livelihoods of the community. This work examines why…

Research shows that community forestry enterprises (CFE) in community forestry (CF) sites are restricted due to a number of factors: a lack of support by governments, combined with policies that undermine CFE’s viability; misconceptions by governments that communities are unable to manage…