Supporting Small Forest Enterprises

Best practice trends that could help an medium forest enterprises develop. Mechanisms that could improve support for small and medium forest enterprises. Information and institutional gaps. Recommendations for better links to markets, service providers an processes.

During the last three decades many countries in the world improved forest tenure by offering greater recognition of indigenous and community rights to manage forests. In many Latin American countries, the community and smallholder forest enterprises are increasing in number, with some developing strong associations and alliances to promote and sustain their growth. Their potential, however, has yet to be fully realized as significant obstacles to their expansion and growth still exist in a number of countries. The publication aims to support forest policy decision makers in understanding the status and dynamics of small scale forest enterprises in Latin America, their needs and challenges in order to help them set up appropriated enabling environment (policy, legal, institutional) that are conducive to scale up the sustainable development of SSFE. This publication contributes to SO3 Reduce rural poverty and particularly to output 1.2 Governments and relevant stakeholders are empowered to promote and implement pro-poor approaches, policies, programmes improving access to and sustainable management of natural resources as well as to output 1.3 Governments and relevant stakeholders are empowered to provide poor rural producers and households with appropriate technologies and access to knowledge, inputs and markets.

This publication discusses the concept, evolution, and requirements of forest management planning, focusing on multiple-use forest management and small and medium forest enterprises (SMFEs). Forest management planning is a document that translates forest policies into a coordinated programme for managing forests over a set period of time, integrating environmental, economic, and social dimensions. It serves various purposes, such as legal documents, concession agreements, and tools for sustainable forest management. Multiple-use forest management recognizes the diverse values and benefits that forests provide beyond timber, such as water regulation, climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and cultural values. Despite its challenges, forest management planning can contribute to sustainability and optimize the value derived from forests. SMFEs play a crucial role in supporting livelihoods and forest-based economies. However, barriers such as policy environments, lack of support tools, and management challenges need to be addressed. Forest management planning can help overcome these barriers by ensuring legal compliance, mitigating risks, promoting sustainability, and supporting marketing and value chain development. It is also a valuable tool for empowering local forest users, involving stakeholders, and negotiating benefit-sharing arrangements.The process of forest management planning involves gathering information, defining objectives, developing silvicultural and ecosystem services plans, creating a business plan, planning for unusual events, and establishing a monitoring system. It is an adaptive learning process that continuously evaluates and adapts plans based on the results of forest management activities. Stakeholder engagement is key to developing a socially acceptable forest management plan, starting with identifying stakeholders, creating awareness, informed discussions, and monitoring to keep stakeholders accountable for their agreed responsibilities. Negotiating expectations and building consensus helps identify conflicts and integrate qualitative data to improve decision-making in multiple-use forest management.In conclusion, forest management planning is essential for sustainable forest management, contributing to the well-being of communities, the environment, and the economy. This guide provides a framework for forest management planning, guiding forest managers through the planning process stepwise and providing advice on information sources needed during the planning process. The framework can be adapted to national and local contexts in line with relevant regulatory requirements.