Forestry is the science and practice of managing trees and forests to provide a diverse range of ecosystem goods and services. USAID’s Forestry Sector Environmental Guideline provides information on the types of projects typically funded by the Agency. It gives a broad overview of forestry activities with a particular focus on environmental and social impacts, mitigation measures, and environmentally sound design and management (ESDM) best practice for USAID projects. This document was prepared to help missions comply with Section 117 of the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) and Regulation 216, which require that environmental impact assessments be conducted, and mitigations implemented, for all USAID projects. It seeks to ensure awareness of Section 118 of FAA and other relevant legislation that pertains to tropical forests. The guideline is also intended to help USAID partners and staff design forestry activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and minimize the vulnerability of people, ecosystems and the project itself to climate change, all of which are important aspects of Regulation 216. The references section of the document includes the cited documents and additional resources on topics discussed in the text. Additional sections in the annex address international agreements and trade policies of relevance to forestry, forest types, ecosystem services, as well as tools from other donors and international organizations.
Internet Sites
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European Union’s (EU) site on forests: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/forests/home_en.htm.
- Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Committee on Forestry (COFO): http://www.fao.org/forestry/57758/en/.
- Forest Legality Alliance: http://www.forestlegality.org/.
- Forest Trends: http://www.forest-trends.org/.
- International Institute for Sustainable Development’s (IISD) brief on global forest policy: http://www.iisd.ca/process/forest_desertification_land-forestintro.htm.
- International Tropical Timber Organization: http://www.itto.int/policypapers_guidelines/.
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Forest Conservation: http://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/forest/.
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) site on issues pertaining to environment: http://www.oecd.org/environment/cc/.
- Rights and Resources – Supporting Forest Tenure, Policy, and Market Reforms: http://www.rightsandresources.org/.
- Tropical Forest Foundation: http://www.tropicalforestfoundation.org/.
- University of Florida, School of Forest Resources & Conservation: http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/.
- U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) site on climate change: http://www.doi.gov/whatwedo/climate/index.cfm.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) site on climate change: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/.
- U.S. Forest Service (USFS) International Programs: http://www.fs.fed.us/global/.
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation: http://frec.vt.edu/.
- World Bank’s site for forests: http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/forests.
- World Resources Institute (WRI) Forests: http://www.wri.org/our-work/topics/forests.
- World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Global Forest & Trade Network: http://gftn.panda.org/.
- Yale School Forestry & Environmental Studies: http://environment.yale.edu/research/.
Internet Sites
- AFORDable Futures LLC. (N.D.). Dynamic Spatial Modeling - MIMES. http://www.afordablefutures.com/.
- Agarwal, B. (2002). Are We Not Peasants Too? Land Rights and Women’s Claims in India. Seeds, No. 21. New York: Population Council. http://www.seepnetwork.org/filebin/pdf/gender/73_Are_We_Not_Peasants_Too.pdf.
- ARIES. (2014). ARIES. http://www.ariesonline.org/.
- Astrium. (2011). REDD and Remote Sensing. http://bassinducongo.reddspot.org/web/en/49-redd-and-space-remote-sensing.php.
- Australian Government, Department of Agriculture. (2014). Illegal Logging. http://www.agriculture.gov.au/forestry/policies/illegal-logging.
- B.C. Ministry of Forests (2014a). Lands and Natural Resource Operations Resource Practices Branch. The Meaning of Silviculture. Accessed September 2014. http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/training/00014/meansilv.htm.
- B.C. Ministry of Forests (2014b). Lands and Natural Resource Operations Resource Practices Branch. Adapting Tree Species Selection for a Changing Climate. Accessed September 2014. http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/topic.page?id=C492FB584ADD4E77875075F502E65BD8
- Boudreaux, K. (2012). The Challenges of Large-Scale Land Acquisitions. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from Presented at The Wilson Center. http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/so-called-land-grabs-the-global-south-reality-and-repercussions.
- Bruce, J.W., Wendland, K., and Naughton-Treves, L. (2010). Whom to Pay? University of Wisconsin: Land Tenure Center. Tenure Brief, No. 15. http://www.nelson.wisc.edu/ltc/docs/whom-to-pay.pdf
- Byamugisha, F.F.K. (2013). Securing Africa’s Land for Shared Prosperity. Washington, DC: The World Bank. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/13837/780850PUB0EPI00LIC00pubdate05024013.pdf?sequence=1.
- Carbon Market Watch. Forestry/Land-use Projects in the CDM. Accessed September 2014. http://carbonmarketwatch.org/category/sustainable-development/forestry-land-use-projects/.
- Clausen, R. & Hube, A. (2003). USAID’S ENDURING LEGACY IN NATURAL FORESTS: Livelihoods, Landscapes, and Governance. Vol. 1. http://rmportal.net/library/content/nric/1893.pdf/view
- Ecobasis Ecology Consultancy and Pvt. Ltd. (2013). Tree Census and Inventory Report. 10 pp. http://www.ecobasics.in/ourwork/A%20tree%20census%20report.pdf
- Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) Tools Network. (2011). Multi-scale Integrated Models of Ecosystem Services. http://www.ebmtools.org/mimes.html.
- European Forest Institute (EFI). (2012). International Developments in Trade in Legal Timber. 26 pp. http://www.forestlegality.org/document/international-developments-trade-legal-timber-0.
- EU FLEGT Facility. What is the EU Timber Regulation? Accessed September 2014. http://www.euflegt.efi.int/what-is-the-eu-timber-regulation-.
- Fakan, V. (2011). When You Can’t See the Forest for the Trees. USAID Frontlines, November-December, 18-19. http://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/frontlines/FL_NOVDEC11%20%281%29.pdf.
- FAO. (1998). Guidelines for the Management of Tropical Forests. FAO Forestry Paper. http://www.fao.org/docrep/w8212e/w8212e00.HTM
- FAO. (2000). Chapter VII: State of the Art and Tools - Silviculture and Silvo-Pastoralism. In “Management of Natural Forests of Dry Tropical Zones”. FAO Conservation Guide No. 32. http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/w4442e/w4442e0b.htm.
- FAO. (2006). ITFMP Forest Concession and Forest Industry Models. http://www.fao.org/forestry/finance/11869/en/.
- FAO. (2009). Global Review of Forest Pests and Diseases. FAO Forestry Paper156. http://www.fao.org/docrep/011/i0640e/i0640e00.htm.
- FAO. (2010). Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010. Main report. FAO Forestry Paper 163. Rome, Italy. http://www.fao.org/forestry/fra/fra2010/en/.
- FAO. (2011). The State of Forests in the Amazon Basin, Congo Basin and Southeast Asia. Rome, Italy. http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/i2247e/i2247e00.pdf
- FAO. (2012). Community Guidelines for Accessing Forestry Voluntary Carbon Markets. FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. http://www.fao.org/docrep/016/i3033e/i3033e00.htm.
- FAO. (2013a). Advancing Agroforestry on the Policy Agenda: A Guide for Decision-Makers. FAO Agroforestry Working Paper no. 1. 37 pp. Rome, Italy. http://www.fao.org/docrep/017/i3182e/i3182e00.pdf.
- FAO. (2014). Market Analysis & Development. http://www.fao.org/forestry/enterprises/25492/en/.
- Ferraro, PJ. (2007). Regional Review of Payments for Watershed Services: Sub-Saharan Africa. Working Paper No. 08-07. Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management Collaborative Research Support Program (SANREM CRSP). http://www.oired.vt.edu/sanremcrsp/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Sept.2007.PESAfrica.pdf.
- Forbes, K. (2013). Ensuring that Forest Communities Own REDD+ Projects - Not the Other Way Around. DAI Developments. http://dai-global-developments.com/articles/ensuring-that-forest-communities-own-redd-projectse28089-e28089not-the-other-way-around/
- Forest Legality Alliance (2014a). U.S. Lacey Act. Accessed September 2014. http://www.forestlegality.org/policy/us-lacey-act.
- Forest Legality Alliance (2014b). Australia Illegal Logging Prohibition Act. Accessed September 2014.
http://www.forestlegality.org/policy/australia-illegal-logging-prohibition-act.
- Forest Stewardship Council. Chain of Custody Certification. Accessed September 2014. https://ic.fsc.org/chain-of-custody-certification.39.htm.
- Forest Stewardship Council. (2010). FSC-US Forest Management Standard (v1.0). http://us.fsc.org/download.fsc-us-forest-management-standard-v1-0.95.htm.
- Forest Trends. (2013). Small Scale Illegal Logging in Vietnam: Implications for FLEGT and REDD+. Information Brief No. 7. http://www.forest-trends.org/publication_details.php?publicationID=3341.
- Forest Treands. (2014). Consumer Goods and Deforestation: An Analysis of the Extent and Nature of Illegality in Forest Conversion for Agriculture and Timber Plantations. Sam Lawson, Art Blundell, Bruce Cabarle, Naomi Basik, Michael Jenkins, and Kerstin Canby. http://www.forest-trends.org/documents/files/doc_4718.pdf.
- Foster, K. (2012). The Carbon Sequestration Potential of Farms in the African Sahel. http://worldagroforestry.org/newsroom/highlights/carbon-sequestration-potential-farms-african-sahel.
- Gatto, F.D. (2013). Community Forestry in Honduras: A Path towards Better Governance. Forest Trends Information Brief No. 8. http://www.forest-trends.org/publication_details.php?publicationID=4081.
- Global Environmental Management Support. (2005). Biodiversity and Tropical Forestry (FAA 118/119) Assessments. http://www.usaidgems.org/faa118119.htm.
- Global Timber Tracking Network. Why GTTN? Accessed September 2014. http://www.globaltimbertrackingnetwork.org/about-us/why-gttn/.
- Government of the Commonwealth of Australia. (2013). Illegal Logging Prohibition Amendment Regulation 2013. No. 1. http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2013L00883.
- Gregg, R.J. (2010). Amendment to the Lacey Act: Implications for Exporters of Thailand’s Forest Products. Forest Trends. http://www.forest-trends.org/documents/files/doc_2386.pdf
- Hudiburg, T.W., Law, B.E., Wirth, C., & Luyssaert, S. (2011).. Nature Publishing Group. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1264
- Inter-American Development Bank. (2014). Sustainability and Safeguards. http://www.iadb.org/en/topics/sustainability/sustainability-and-safeguards,8621.html.
- International Land Coalition. (2012). Monitoring Large Scale Land Acquisitions. Presentation at GIGA International workshop on large-scale land acquisitions. http://www.landcoalition.org/sites/default/files/publication/1269/12_05_GIGA_ILC.pdf.
- IPCC. (2007). The Physical Science Basis. Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, United Kingdom. http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/publications_ipcc_fourth_assessment_report_wg1_report_the_physical_science_basis.htm
- IPEA. (2012). Cost–benefit Analyses of Climate Change. International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth. Regional Carbon Dioxide Implications of Forest Bioenergy Production. Nature Climate Change Vol. 1, pp. 419-423One Pager No. 164. http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v1/n8/full/nclimate1264.html
- Jindal, R., & Kerr, J. (2007). Basic Principles of PES in USAID. PES Sourcebook: Lessons and Best Practices for Pro-Poor Payment for Ecosystem Services. pp. 11-18. USAID. http://www.oired.vt.edu/sanremcrsp/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/PES.Sourcebook.pdf
- Kachingwe, N. (2012). From Under Their Feet: A Think Piece on the Gender Dimensions of Land Grabs in Africa. http://www.actionaid.org/sites/files/actionaid/land_grabs_report_-_from_under_their_feet.pdf
- Kiishweko, O. (2012). Tanzania Takes Major Step Towards Curbing Land “Grabs”. The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2012/dec/21/tanzania-major-step-curbing-land-grabs.
- Kohli, R., Singh, H., Batish, D. & Jose, S. (2008). Ecological Interactions in Agroforestry: An Overview. In Batish et al. Ecological Basis of Agroforestry. (pp. 3-14). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
- Laarman, J.G. & Sedjo, R.A. (1992). Global Forests: Issues for Six Billion People. McGraw-Hill, Inc. New York, NY.
- Mcardle, R.E. (1960). The Concept of Multiple Use of Forest and Associated Lands: Its Values and Limitations. Vol. 14, No. 4. FAO. http://www.fao.org/docrep/x5397e/x5397e03.htm
- Mesiku, C. (2012). New VECEA Map a Potential Platform for Imbedding Data from Various GRPs. http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/newsroom/highlights/new-vecea-map-potential-platform-imbedding-data-various-grps.
- Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. (2005). Ecosystems and Human Well-being: General Synthesis. http://www.millenniumassessment.org/en/Synthesis.html.
- Nair, P.K. (1992). An Introduction to Agroforestry. Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
- National Research Council (NRC). (2005). Valuing Ecosystem Services: Toward Better Environmental Decision-Making, Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
- Natural Capital Project. Integrated Valuation of Environmental Services and Tradeoffs. Accessed September 2014. http://www.naturalcapitalproject.org/InVEST.html.
- Naughton-Treves, L. & Day, C., eds. (2012). Lessons On Land Tenure, Forest Governance, and REDD+: Case Studies from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Madison, Wisconsin: UW-Madison Land Tenure Center. http://rmportal.net/library/content/translinks/2011/land-tenure-center/ltfc-mgmt-workshop/lessons-on-land-tenure-forest-governance-and-redd.
- Nellemann, C. (2012). Green Carbon, Black Trade: Illegal Logging, Tax Fraud and Laundering in the Worlds Tropical Forests. A Rapid Response Assessment. United Nations Environment Programme, GRID-Arendal. http://www.grida.no/publications/rr/green-carbon-black-trade/
- Parametrix. (2014). EcoMetrix. http://www.parametrix.com/what-we-do/environmental/ecometrix.
- Pascual, U and Muradian, R. (2010). The economics of valuing ecosystem services and biodiversity. http://www.teebweb.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/D0-Chapter-5-The-economics-of-valuing-ecosystem-services-and-biodiversity.pdf
- Peters-Stanley, M., Gonzalez, G. & Yin, D. (2013). State of the Forest Carbon Market 2013: A Report by Forest Trends’ Ecosystem Marketplace. http://www.forest-trends.org/fcm2013.php.
- Pool, D., Catterson, T.M., Molinos, V.A., & Randall, A.C. (2002). Review of USAID’s Natural Forest Management Programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. http://www.eldis.org/go/home&id=12499&type=Document#.VCnDTk10zcs
- Sasaki, N. (2011). Sustainable Forest Management and Carbon Stocks. Paper presented at the COP17 in Durban, South Africa. www.illegal-logging.info/sites/default/files/uploads/sasakiCOP17.pdf.
- Sileshi, G., Schroth, G., Rao, M., & Girma, H. (2008). Weeds, Diseases, Insect Pests, and Tri-Trophic Interactions in Tropical Agroforestry. In Batish et al. (eds.) Ecological Basis of Agroforestry. pp. 73-94. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
- Society of American Forestry. (2008). The Dictionary of Forestry. http://dictionaryofforestry.org/dict/term/silviculture.
- Steppler, H.A. & Nair, P.K.R. (1987). Agroforestry: A Decade of Development. ICRAF: Nairobi, Kenya.
- Taylor, P. & Beniest, J. (2003). Training in Agroforestry. The World Agroforestry Centre.
- UNDP. (2013). Targeted Scenario Analysis: A new approach to capturing and presenting ecosystem service values for decision makers. http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/environment-energy/environmental_finance/targeted-scenario-analysis/.
- UNEP. (2009). Vital Forest Graphics; UNEP/GRID-Arendal. http://www.unep.org/vitalforest/Report/VFG_full_report.pdf.
- UNFCCC. Clean Development Mechanism. Accessed September 2014. http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/mechanisms/clean_development_mechanism/items/2718.php.
- UNFCCC. (2011). Assessing the Costs and Benefits of Adaptation Options – an Overview of Approaches. Bonn, Germany. http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/publications/pub_nwp_costs_benefits_adaptation.pdf.
- UN-REDD Programme. (2009) FAQ. http://www.un-redd.org/UNREDDProgramme/FAQs/tabid/586/language/en-US/Default.aspx.
- USAID. (2002). USAID Environmental Procedures Training Manual for USAID Environmental Officers and USAID Mission Partners. Africa edition. http://www.encapafrica.org/eptm.htm.
- USAID. (2013a). 22 CFR 216 Agency Environmental Procedures. http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/environment/compliance/22cfr216.
- USAID. (2014). Primer: Land Tenure and Prop Rights. http://usaidlandtenure.net/sites/default/files/USAID_Land_Tenure_Primer_2014-updated.pdf
- USAID. Office of Forestry and Biodiversity: Results. (2013). http://www.usaid.gov/who-we-are/organization/bureaus/bureau-economic-growth-education-and-environment/office-forestry-and.
- USAID E&E Bureau. (2012). Environmental Compliance Management System Standard Operating Procedure Manual. Version 1.0. http://www.usaidgems.org/Documents/ComplianceForms/E&E/Final.01.01.2013.EE%20BEU_SOP_Manual_Final.doc.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). (2008). US EPA’s 2008 Report on the Environment (Final Report). US EPA, Washington DC, EPA 600-R-07-045F, May 2008.
- U.S. Forest Service. (2000). Illegal Logging. http://www.fs.fed.us/global/topic/illegal_logging/.
- U.S. Forest Service. (2009). Programs to Combat Illegal Logging. http://www.fs.fed.us/global/employee_resources/marketing/pubs/10_illegal_logging_131029.pdf.
- U.S. Forest Service. (2013). Programs to Combat Illegal Logging. http://www.fs.fed.us/global/employee_resources/marketing/pubs/10_illegal_logging_131029.pdf.
- U.S. Geological Survey. (2013). Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS). http://eros.usgs.gov/.
- U.S. Trade Representative. H.R. (2010). 3688, 110th Cong. http://www.ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/peru-tpa.
- weADAPT. (2013). The EX-ACT Tool. http://weadapt.org/knowledge-base/synergies-between-adaptation-and-mitigation/the-ex-act-tool.
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pagePK:64168445~piPK:64168309~theSitePK:584435,00.html.
- Yale University Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry. (2014). Global and Regional Forest Conditions. http://environment.yale.edu/gisf/programs/landscape-management/global-and-regional-forest-conditions/.
Other Resources
Overview of the Forestry Sector
- For more information on the Alternatives to Slash and Burn program, see CIFOR’s Fire Research: http://www.cifor.org/fire/ and ASB’s Partnership for the Tropical Forest Margins: http://www.asb.cgiar.org/
- World Agroforestry Centre [formerly ICRAF]: http://www.worldagroforestry.org/
Issues in Forest Governance
- For more information on conflict analysis tools, see: http://www.conflictsensitivity.org/node/81
International Environmental Conventions Related to Forestry
- Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), adopted in 1992, aims to conserve and sustain biodiversity: http://www.cbd.int/
- United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa (UNCCD), adopted in 1994, collaborates with the UNFCCC and CBD to address natural resource management and use: http://www.unccd.int/en/Pages/default.aspx
- The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands - The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, called the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources: http://www.ramsar.org/
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), adopted in 1992, sets a goal to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions to prevent human interference with the climate system: https://unfccc.int
- The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival: http://www.cites.org/
Resources and Tools from other Donors and Agencies
- Evans, K. et al. (2006). Guide to Participatory Tools for Forest Communities. Bogor, Indonesia: Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR): http://info.worldbank.org/etools/docs/library/238390/BKristen0601.pdf
- The CBD Secretariat, with generous funding from the governments of Belgium and Norway and in consultation with Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) members, launched a new web-based tool to support the conservation and sustainable use of the world’s forest biodiversity, based on the TEMATEA platform: http://www.tematea.org
- International Tropical Timber Agreement took effect in 2011, replacing the 1994 International Tropical Timber Agreement, and promotes trade expansion of tropical timber from sustainably managed forests: http://www.itto.int/itta/
- Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) 2010 Global Forest Resources Assessment: http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/i1757e/i1757e.pdf; Global Conventions Related to Forests: http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/y1237e/y1237e00.htm; and Collaborative Conflict Management for Enhanced National Forest Programmes (NFPS) Training Manual: http://www.fao.org/docrep/017/i3101e/i3101e00.pdf.
- U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Legally Binding Agreements: http://www.fs.fed.us/global/aboutus/policy/multi/bind.htm
- U.S. Forest Service, Climate Change Emphasis Area: http://www.fs.fed.us/climatechange/; and Climate Change Resource Center: http://www.fs.fed.us/ccrc/