This database provides a most comprehensive assessment of forests and forestry, not only in terms of the number of countries and people involved, but also in terms of scope. It examines the status and recent trends for about 90 variables covering the extent, condition, uses and values of forests and other wooded land, with the aim of assessing all benefits from forest resources. Information has been collected from 233 countries and territories for four points in time: 1990, 2000, 2005 and 2010.

This book lays out the possibilities:
• using energy from wood biomass and mill residuals instead of fossil fuels;
• substituting wood products for fossil fuel-intensive steel, concrete, brick, and aluminum building components;
• adjusting forest management practices to capture additional atmospheric carbon dioxide;
• retaining forest cover and its potential to mitigate climate change;
• capturing and storing atmospheric carbon in forest carbon "pools" and long-lived wood products; and

The increased pressures on the world’s natural resources and ecological systems in the past century, has been accompanied by rapid urban population growth. Urban centres themselves have ecological reputations since they drive unsustainable environmental change. They also lead to high levels of resource use and waste generation, causing serious ecological consequences locally, regionally and globally, especially in terms of climate change. But there is good evidence that urban areas can combine high living standards with relatively low GHG emissions and lower resource demands.

This report assesses opportunities and challenges for the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in sub-Saharan African countries, namely Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. It analyses the technical potentials for CDM projects per sector as well as a review of the Kyoto infrastructure and an evaluation of Grid Emissions Factors.

Harvesting timber directly contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in the atmosphere by reducing storage of forest carbon stocks and increasing storage in wood product stocks. This report examines on existing methods for accounting for harvested wood products (HWP) in mitigation projects, as well as possible new approaches that could improve the accuracy of HWP mitigation accounting. Accounting measures are specifically explored for emissions from landfill, debris piles, burning and retirement (such as use of HWP for construction or paper production).

Have recent changes in environmental policy produced real benefits for women' Evidence suggests that many projects fail to promote women's interests. This issue of 'Development and Gender in Brief' highlights how, for example, attempts to address the wood shortage in Ghana have been biased towards men, and how special efforts are required to extend women's participation in water and sanitation activities beyond their traditional roles.

This paper describes the important carbon storage and substitution benefits of Harvested Wood Products (HWP). It notes that HWP from forests that are sustainably managed contribute to climate mitigation. HWP and biomass energy from sustainably managed forests can also contribute to adaptation as part of the transition to a low-carbon and resource-efficient economy. The paper reviews the current situation of Cancun and Bonn texts regarding HWP. It notes that the Cancun decision calls for the development of forest management reference levels.

This extensive FAO assessment of global forest resources, describes the extent, uses and value of forest resources covering 229 countries and territories between 1990 and 2005.

Combating human-induced climate change is a key challenge of this age, and requires a wide range of concerted actions. Preferential use of wood products can make a positive contribution - both in terms of mitigating the negative effects of climate change and fostering sustainable development. But citizens and consumers need to know all the facts about using wood products in order to help make these contributions.