scholarly journals Features of First Nation forest management institutions and implications for sustainability

1999 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 793-798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie Treseder ◽  
Naomi T. Krogman

This paper provides an overview of three approaches to forest management being applied by First Nations in Canada: industrial forestry, forest co-management and community forests. Industrial forestry, involving large-scale harvesting of timber, has been successful in increasing employment levels for some First Nations. However, industrial forestry is difficult to pursue due to the significant financial and timber resources it requires, and it may result in social conflicts between timber harvesters and traditional users of the forest. Forest co-management refers to shared management of forest resources by First Nations, government and/or industry. Benefits of co-management for First Nations can include better decision-making, increased employment opportunities, and cultural sensitivity toward First Nation forestry concerns. Disadvantages can include inequality of the partners in co-management arrangements and lack of public involvement in decision-making. Community forests often include local control, local investment of profits, and greater attention to the long term returns from the forest. The community forest approach may be hindered by a lack of profit, an absence of alternative tenure arrangements and other models to follow, and difficult access to financial resources and adequate land bases. The current state of institutional reform offers hope for the incorporation of Aboriginal objectives in sustainable forest management. New institutions can contribute to sustainability in forest-dependent Aboriginal communities by increasing commitment to and support of local forest management practices. Key Words: forest sociology, sustainable forest management, First Nations, social institutions, industrial forestry, forest co-management, community forests

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Gräfe ◽  
Claus-Martin Eckelmann ◽  
Maureen Playfair ◽  
Mike P. Oatham ◽  
Ramon Pacheco ◽  
...  

Despite the widespread use and strong promotion of the sustainable forest management approach, there are still uncertainties about the actual contribution of current forest management practices to sustainability. We studied the problem of sustainable timber production in four tropical countries (Belize, Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago). Data assessed on experimental plots covering 10 km2 were used to compare management practices of four forest tenure types that commonly exist in the study countries: large scale concessions (LSC), private forests (PR), periodic block system forests (PBS), and community managed forests (CM). As an indicator of sustainable timber production, we calculated the recovery times expected under the initial condition of the stands and compared them with currently practiced cutting cycles. Three growth scenarios were simulated using diameter growth rates (1.6/2.7/4.5 mm year−1) from empirical data from studies in the region. Initial volumes were determined for all commercial trees as well as for commercial trees with a DBH-threshold ≥45 cm. Highest initial volumes were found in LSC and PBS managed forests. Lowest volumes were found in CM and PR forests. Assuming the lowest growth rate for all commercial trees, none of the stands studied reached the initial pre-harvest volumes within the currently practiced cutting cycles. Assuming the highest growth rate for all trees, LSC, PBS, and PR forests reach the initial pre-harvest volume. Looking at the subset of commercial trees with a DBH ≥45 cm, all stands will reach the initial volume within 30 years only if the highest growth rate is assumed. We show that general harvest codes do not guarantee sustainable forest management in the tropics. Local stand conditions must always be one of the guiding principles of sustainable timber utilization. Applying the rigid rules, which do not take into account the current conditions of the stands, entails long-term risk of forest degradation.


1970 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pem N Kandel

In early 2005, 10,045 ha Community Forests (CFs) were certified in Bajhang and Dolakha districts of Nepal by using the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification scheme. After two years of forest certification, subsequent questions are being asked such as: What benefits have certification brought for the Forest Users Groups (FUGs)? What tangible differences are there in forest management system because of forest certification? and What lessons have been learnt from the certified forests? In an attempt to answer these questions, a study was carried out in April 2007 in Dolakha district where 11 (2,182 ha) community managed forests were certified in 2005. On the basis of field study from two certified forests (Vitteripakha and Suspa) of the district, this paper analyzes the effects of forest certification and its implications for enhancing Sustainable Community Forestry (SCF) in Nepal. Key words: Sustainable forest management, forest certification, community forestry Banko Janakari: A journal of forestry information for Nepal Vol.17(1) 2007 pp.11-16


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-196
Author(s):  
L. Puri ◽  
I. Nuberg ◽  
B. Ostendorf ◽  
E. Cedamon

Operational plans are a key element in community forestry in Nepal. However, the relevance of these plans to forest user groups (FUGs) is under scrutiny. This study investigates the usefulness of operational plans against the backdrop of knowledge, capacity and management practices of FUGs. Data were collected from 13 operational plans, 16 group discussions involving forestry professionals, and 218 household interviews in two villages of Lamjung district in Nepal. Whereas operational plans should specifically reflect site specific objectives and activities of forest management, the survey revealed identical objectives across the community forests. Current operational plans are technically complex, poorly linked to the place-based context of livelihood needs and less useful to the FUGs to inform and enhance forest management. This study proposes to differentiate community forests according to their production potentials, and revise the operational plans by shortening the elements that have little or no relevance to the FUGs.


2010 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
pp. 697-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
H W Harshaw

Conceptions and challenges of public participation in British Columbia are reviewed to identify those characteristicsof planning processes that serve to benefit or constrain the interests and needs of public stakeholders. Perspectives onpublic participation, including representative and participatory democracies, and approaches to incorporating publicperspectives in decision-making (i.e., shared decision-making, consensus-building, and interest-based negotiation) arepresented to demonstrate the different approaches (and their benefits and challenges) available for providing opportunitiesfor public participation. Lessons from other natural resource management contexts are distilled and used to evaluatethe BC context. Three principal forest planning and management frameworks (the Commission on Resources and theEnvironment, Land and Resource Management Plans, and sustainable forest management certification) are examinedin light of whether meaningful opportunities for public participation were provided.Key words: public participation, British Columbia, Commission on Resources and the Environment, Land and ResourceManagement Plans, sustainable forest management certification


1998 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 385-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter N. Duinker ◽  
Reino E. Pulkki

In June 1997, we visited the Magnifica Comunità di Fiemme (MCF), a community forest in the Alps of northern Italy. We have prepared this article to help broaden the perspectives of Forestry Chronicle readers on community forests and what they mean in various parts of the world. We first describe the area and its forests, and then give a brief history of the MCF. Then we review the forest-management strategies used in this Norway spruce forest, and summarize the logging and wood-processing activities of the enterprise. We continue with a comparison of this community forest with three community forests in Canada, concluding that generalization on what makes a community forest successful is dangerous — each situation is unique. Finally, given that the MCF recently won permission to use the eco-label of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), we discuss our perceptions of how the MCF operation does and does not meet the FSC's Principles and Criteria of Forest Stewardship. Despite several shortcomings, we believe that the MCF is in most respects a sound example of sustainable forest management.


2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 1515-1526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen RJ Sheppard

There is an increasing demand for active public involvement in forestry decision making, but there are as yet few established models for achieving this in the new sustainable forest management (SFM) context. At the level of the working forest, the fields of forest sustainability assessment, public participation, decision support, and computer technology in spatial modelling and visualization need to be integrated. This paper presents the results of a literature review of public participation and decision-support methods, with emphasis on case study examples in participatory decision support. These suggest that emerging methods, such as public multicriteria analysis of alternative forest management scenarios and allied tools, may lend themselves to public processes addressing sustainability criteria and indicators. The paper develops a conceptual framework for participatory decision support to address the special needs of SFM in tactical planning at the landscape level. This framework consists of principles, process criteria, and preliminary guidelines for designing and evaluating SFM planning processes with community input. More well-documented studies are needed to develop comprehensive, engaging, open, and accountable processes that support informed decision making in forest management, and to strengthen guidance for managers.


2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Trosper ◽  
Harry Nelson ◽  
George Hoberg ◽  
Peggy Smith ◽  
William Nikolakis

This paper uses survey information to examine several common assertions about the institutional prerequisites for successful profitability when a First Nation enters an economic enterprise either independently or in joint effort with an outside firm. In the winter of 2004–2005, we interviewed managers on both the First Nations and private sides of joint ventures and other business alliances in Canada, to determine what affected their recent profitability experience. We gathered information on the ages, sizes, and activities of the firms. We also gathered information about the firms’ management structures and relationship with the First Nation, and the characteristics of the government of the First Nation. With a sample size of 40 firms that responded, we found that several institutional characteristics affected profit positively: strong separation of management from band governance, participation in management planning, and the use of staggered terms in band council elections. We found that the likelihood of profitability decreased if the band had been in third party management as well as if there was formal participation of elders or hereditary chiefs in decision making. We offer interpretations of these results.


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