Sustainable land management technologies: sustainable forest management

Sources

Sustainable Land Management contribution to successful land-based climate change adaptation and mitigation: A report of the UNCCD Science-Policy Interface (SPI)

SFM

Definition

Sustainable forest management (SFM) aims to responsibly manage natural and planted forests, and combines both forest productivity and forest conservation to sustainably increase benefits derived from forests and forest ecosystems. The technology is applied to land with forest areas, such as forest/woodland.

Benefits

According to the report on sustainable land management (SLM) by the UNCCD Science-Policy Interface (SPI), SFM can provide socio-economic goods and services to communities who depend on the forest, such as income generation and employment opportunities, food, timber and non-timber products. SFM also helps to reduce forest vulnerability and maintain forest productivity. Specific management practices can also promote carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and soil and water conservation. The technology is an effective strategy to reduce land degradation and simultaneously contribute to climate change mitigation.

Examples of SLM best practices in SFM

Below are examples of best practices in SFM cited in the report on SLM by the UNCCD SPI.

Selective clearing

SLM - Land use type :

Forest/Woodland

SLM - Technology group:

Sustainable forest management

SLM - Type of land degradation addressed:

Biological degradation

Country

Spain

Source

WOCAT

Selective clearing involves clearing fire-prone species and planting more fire-resistant resprouter species. This directs the vegetation to later successional stages, which increases the resilience to fires. The goals are to reduce the fuel load and its continuity and to increase the resilience of the vegetation to fires.

Woodlot/fuelwood production