Forestry and the wood products industry

The forest is part of the biosphere and covers vast areas in many parts of the earth. Forests include a wide variety of ecosystems, defined as areas of landscape in which there are complex structural relationships and functional processes between soil, climate, plants, animals and microorganisms (Barnes et al. 1998; Kimmins 2004; Otto 1994). The worldwide distribution of forests and the structure of forest areas in world regions and individual countries are assessed through periodic surveys of the extent of forest resources (the Global Forest Resources Assessment), published at regular intervals by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO 2010a). Regularly updated information on forestry, wood and processed forest products at the global scale is provided by the FAOSTAT database and FAO reports, such as 'State of the World's Forests', published every two years (FAO 2011a).