Challenges and Opportunities for the World's Forests in the 21st Century [Hardcover]

This book addresses the challenges and opportunities faced by the worlds forests posed by climate change, conservation objectives, and sustainable development needs including bioenergy,?outlining the research and other efforts that are needed to understand these issues, along with the options and difficulties for dealing with them. It contains sections on sustainable forestry & conservation; forest resources worldwide; forests, forestry and climate change; the economics of forestry; tree breeding & commercial forestry; biotechnological approaches; genomic studies with forest trees; bio-energy, lignin & wood; and forest science, including ecological studies. The chapters are contributed by prominent organisations or individuals with an established record of achievement in these areas, and present their ideas on these topics with the aim of providing a ready source of information and guidance on these topics for politicians, policy makers and scientists for many years to come.This book addresses the urgent and complex threats and challenges to the worlds forests posed by the four great problems of the age: climate change, conservation objectives, sustainable development needs, and the growing demand for affordable energy.

Forward; Yvo de Boer
1.Introduction; Trevor Fenning
PART 1. Sustainable Forestry & Conservation Objectives
2. A burning issue: Tropical Forests and the Health of Global Ecosystems; Paul McMahon
3. Silviculture of planted forests managed for multi-functional objectives: lessons from Chinese and British experiences ; Bill Mason & Jiaojun Zhu
4. Forests for all? Considering the conservation implications of human-species interactions in the context of multifunctional forestry; Mariella Marzano, Christopher P. Quine & Norman Dandy
5. Human engagement with forest environments  implications for physical and mlˆ