The Contribution Of Forestry To The Regional And National Economies

This paper demonstrates the contribution of the forestry sector to national economies at the global, regional and country levels. It presents the status and trends of the forestry sector's contribution (total employment, value-added and export earnings) and analyses the driving forces behind these trends. The study gives a reasonable estimation of the general trends in the sector at the regional and global level, with some estimations at the level of individual countries. This is the second update of FAO's original report on the topic.

This paper is the second update of FAO’s original report on this topic. It presents information about the contribution of the forestry sector to national economies at the global, regional and country levels. The study presents the status and trends of the forestry sector’s contribution (total employment, value-added and export earnings) in the sector and analyses the driving forces behind these trends. It updates the data and analysis to the year 2011. The study gives a reasonable estimation of the general trends in the sector at the regional and global level. However, at the level of individual countries, the use of imputed values for some figures (i.e. FAO estimates rather than published statistics) should be noted and these estimates should be treated with caution.

The forest sector is a key sector for the development of a circular bioeconomy and achievement of the SDGs. Clarity on the dimension of the benefits generated by wood production, including through other sectors of the economy can help build the case to support a sustainable growth of the forest sector, with increased sustainable management of natural and planted forests, and efficient and inclusive value chains. Analysis of national input-output matrix and calculation of economic multipliers can provide insights on the real magnitude of forest contributions to the national economies and highlight where policies towards sustainability can have a greater impact. This report presents the total economic contributions of the forest sector to national economies around the globe, based on estimations of the forest sector direct, indirect and induced effects on the economy derived from the national accounts input-output matrixes with the most recent data available (2015). The results can help stakeholders to understand the importance and multiplier effects of the forest sector to the national economy in a quantifiable way.

Forestry practices are closely linked to decisions that address measures on climate change, biodiversity and the institutional framework for sustainable development. This book documents the progress made in creating the political, economic and social conditions that are necessary for a sustainable and multifunctional use of forest resources.

This book draws together contributions from forest economists in the Research Triangle of North Carolina, with co-authors from institutions around the world. It represents our common belief that rigorous empirical analysis in an economic framework can inform forest policy. We intend the book as a guide to the empirical methods that we have found most useful for addressing both traditional and modem areas of concern in forest policy, including timber production and markets, multiple use forestry, and valuation of non-market benefits. 'The book editors and most chapter authors are affiliated with three institutions in the Research Triangle: the Southern Research Station of the USDA Forest Service (K. Abt, Butry, Holmes, Mercer, Moulton, Prestemon, Wear), the Department of Forestry at North Carolina State University (R. Abt, Ahn, Cubbage, Sills), and the Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Program of Research Triangle Institute (Murray, Pattanayak). Two other Triangle institutions are also represented among the book authors: Duke University (Kramer) and the Forestland Group (Zinkhan). In addition to our primary affiliations, many of us are adjunct faculty and/or graduates of Triangle universities. Many of our co-authors also graduated from or were previously affiliated with Triangle institutions. Thus, the selection of topics, methods, and case studies reflects the work of this particular network of economists, and to some degree, our location in the southeastern United States. However, our work and the chapters encompass other regions of the United States and the world, including Latin America and Asia.

This title was first published in 2003. The 'Economics of Forestry' is a specialized subset of resource economics addressing a specific natural resource - the forest - which is usually a relatively long time period. Hence, forest economics has characteristics similar to nonrenewable resources but also has those of a renewable resource, in some cases approaching those of agriculture. This volume comprises some of the most significant journal essays in forest economics and forest policy. The International Library of Environmental Economics and Policy explores the influence of economics on the development of environmental and natural resource policy. In a series of twenty five volumes, the most significant journal essays in key areas of contemporary environmental and resource policy are collected. Scholars who are recognized for their expertise and contribution to the literature in the various research areas serve as volume editors and write essays that provides the context for the collection. Volumes in the series reflect three broad strands of economic research including 1) Natural and Environmental Resources, 2) Policy Instruments and Institutions and 3) Methodology. The editors, in their introduction to each volume, provide a state-of-the-art overview of the topic and explain the influence and relevance of the collected papers on the development of policy. This reference series provides access to the economic literature that has shaped contemporary perspectives on land use analysis and policy.