The Global Forest Sector
The course takes its starting point in current forest-related challenges concerning e.g. land use, industrial production, use of resources, demographic changes and climate change. Throughout the course the sustainable development goals (SDG:s) established by the United Nations in 2015 are used and related to. In relation to these challenges questions about ecological, social, and economic sustainability and the forest industry’s role and prerequisites are in focus. The course focuses on fundamental knowledge on the forest resource and the forest industry structure, development, and role in society – with global as well as local perspectives. During the course different regions with different circumstances regarding forest resources, forest industry and social structure are in focus. By providing insight into how the forest sector contribute to societies need and how the sector interacts with other sectors in society the students are inspired to reflect about how different stakeholders in the forest sector are balanced and how the contribution from the sector can be improved. During the course the forest sector decisions are discussed, and we reflect on stakeholders, conflicts of interest, power and responsibility at global, regional and national level.
Implementation
The course is based on learning activities, for example lectures, seminars, oral presentations, written assignments, and study visits. Activities can be individual as well as group based.
The following elements are compulsory
- Guest lectures
- Seminars.
Collboration with society may be done via guest lectures and study visits.
Information from the course leader
A warm welcome to the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and the master's course "The Global Forest Sector"!
Once the course has started, all information will be on the Canvas page. To access Canvas, your emails, and Ladok, etc. please make sure to create a student account (see link below).
A prel. literature list will be available latest from 8th July 2024 and the prel. schedule latest by 5th August 2024.
We look forward to meeting you soon!
In the meantime, please reach out the respective office if your question is regarding the following:
- Admissions: please contact antagning@slu.se
- Exams: please contact examen@slu.se
- Tuitionfees: please contact tuitionfees@slu.se
- Study councelling: please contact studyguidance@slu.se
If this course is the first course in your Master programme at SLU, please check out this link with important information regarding enrolment on 2 September 2024.
Useful other links:
For new students
Student account
Access to printers
Educational support
Best wishes,
Julia Aldberg (course leader, PSR)
Syllabus and other information
Syllabus
BM0001 The Global Forest Sector, 7.5 Credits
Den globala skogssektornSubjects
Forestry Science Bioeconomy managementEducation cycle
Master’s levelModules
| Title | Credits | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Single module | 7.5 | 0001 |
Advanced study in the main field
Second cycle, has only first-cycle course/s as entry requirementsMaster’s level (A1N)
Grading scale
The grade requirements within the course grading system are set out in specific criteria. These criteria must be available by the course start at the latest.
Language
EnglishPrior knowledge
Knowledge corresponding to 12015 credits in one of the follwoing subjects:
- Forestry
- Forest science
- Forest management
- Agricultural science
- Biology
- Technology
English 6
Objectives
The main objective of this course is to give the students the knowledge to critically reflect upon, and discuss, the role of the forest sector for society in a global perspective, and how the sector interacts with society and the external economy.
After completing the course, students should be able to:
- describe and explain the distribution, development and status of the global forest resources in different regions and in relation to forest use, economic factors, and other forms of land use;
- demonstrate and reflect on the roles and uses of forests and their ecosystem services in different regions;
- explain main features and regional differences of the global forest industry, including capacity, production, trade, economic significance, and structural change;
- relate the forest industry development to other conditions and trends, e.g., technological, economic, institutional, social and environmental; and
- describe and critically discuss the role of the forest sector for global sustainable development and a sustainability transition, related industry products, Non-Timber Forest Products and other ecosystem services.
Content
The course takes its starting point in current forest-related challenges concerning e.g. land use, industrial production, use of resources, demographic changes and climate change. Throughout the course the sustainable development goals (SDG:s) established by the United Nations in 2015 are used and related to. In relation to these challenges questions about ecological, social, and economic sustainability and the forest industry’s role and prerequisites are in focus. The course focuses on fundamental knowledge on the forest resource and the forest industry structure, development, and role in society – with global as well as local perspectives. During the course different regions with different circumstances regarding forest resources, forest industry and social structure are in focus. By providing insight into how the forest sector contribute to societies need and how the sector interacts with other sectors in society the students are inspired to reflect about how different stakeholders in the forest sector are balanced and how the contribution from the sector can be improved. During the course the forest sector decisions are discussed, and we reflect on stakeholders, conflicts of interest, power and responsibility at global, regional and national level.
Implementation
The course is based on learning activities, for example lectures, seminars, oral presentations, written assignments, and study visits. Activities can be individual as well as group based.
The following elements are compulsory
- Guest lectures
- Seminars.
Collboration with society may be done via guest lectures and study visits.
Grading form
The grade requirements within the course grading system are set out in specific criteria. These criteria must be available by the course start at the latest.Formats and requirements for examination
Approved written examination.
Approved written and oral presentation of assignments.
Completed mandatory elements.
If a student has failed an examination, the examiner has the right to issue supplementary assignments. This applies if it is possible and there are grounds to do so.
The examiner can provide an adapted assessment to students entitled to study support for students with disabilities following a decision by the university. Examiners may also issue an adapted examination or provide an alternative way for the students to take the exam.
If this syllabus is withdrawn, SLU may introduce transitional provisions for examining students admitted based on this syllabus and who have not yet passed the course.
For the assessment of an independent project (degree project), the examiner may also allow a student to add supplemental information after the deadline for submission. Read more in the Education Planning and Administration Handbook.
Other information
The right to participate in teaching and/or supervision only applies for the course instance the student was admitted to and registered on.
If there are special reasons, students are entitled to participate in components with compulsory attendance when the course is given again. Read more in the Education Planning and Administration Handbook.
Additional information
SLU is environmentally certified according to ISO 14001. A large part of our courses cover knowledge and skills that contribute positively to the environment. To further strengthen this, we have specific environmental goals for the education. Students are welcome to suggest actions regarding the course’s content and implementation that lead to improvements for the environment. For more information, see webpage www.slu.se.SLU is certified in accordance with PRIME-principles, Principles for Responsible Management Education (http://www.unprme.org/). This course concerns understandings, models and methods for sustainable development.
Responsible department
Department of Forest Economics
Further information
Litterature list
Prel. Literature list and references
Please note:
- There is no course book for this course.
- The list below is an overview of different resources needed for different moments in the course.
- The literature will be complemented throughout the course.
- You will also search for your own literature to complement this course literature.
- Most literature will be available online on Canvas in form of an attachment or link. Canvas you will be able to access once you have been accepted to the course.
- If need more support for accessing the literature, such as dyslexia, do not hesitate to contact the course leader as soon as possible.
- If the link below is not working search for the title/author on e.g. google/google scholar.
Suggested literature for different course moments in the course
Global Forest Resources Assessments. https://www.fao.org/forest-resources-assessment/en/
FAO 2020. FAO Statistics on Forestry Production and Trade (FOASTAT-Forestry) https://www.fao.org/wood-energy/search/detail/en/c/1305532/
FAO. 2022. State of the World’s Forests 2022. https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/0c46e9fb-5fec-4738-9db5-65b474f0b9b7
UNECE/FAO 2023 Forest Products Annual Market Review 2022-2023 (FPAMR). https://unece.org/forests/publications/forest-products-annual-market-review-2022-2023
Song, XP., Hansen, M.C., Stehman, S.V. et al. Global land change from 1982 to 2016. Nature560, 639–643 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0411-9
Lambin, E.F. and Meyfroidt, P. 2010. Land use transitions: Socio- ecological feedback versus socio-economic change. Land Use Policy 27:108–118. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0264837709001288
Meyfroid, P., Rudel T., Lambin E. 2010 Forest transitions, trade, and the global displacement of land use. PNAS. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3000287/
Forest Ecology and Management 2015. Science to sustain the world’s forests. Special Issue: Changes in Global Forest Resources from 1990 to 2015. Vol 352. Guest Editor: Kenneth MacDickenA Special Issue of the Journal Forest Ecology and Management, contains thirteen peer- reviewed papers with more detailed analyzes both based on FRA 2015 https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/2cdae18d-3c7b-4036-848e-a8099b564172
BGCI 2021. State of the World’s Trees. Botanic Gardens Conservation International. https://www.bgci.org/news-events/bgci-launches-the-state-of-the-worlds-trees-report/
DFID 1999. Sustainable livelihoods guidance sheets. Department for international development. https://www.livelihoodscentre.org/documents/114097690/114438878/Sustainable+livelihoods+guidance+sheets.pdf/594e5ea6-99a9-2a4e-f288-cbb4ae4bea8b?t=1569512091877
FAO, 2017. The charcoal transition: greening the charcoal value chain to mitigate climate change and improve local livelihoods, by J. van Dam. Rome, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. https://www.uncclearn.org/wp-content/uploads/library/charcoal.pdf
FAO 2020 Global Forest Resource Assessment. Summary & Main report. FAO, Rome. http://www.fao.org/forest-resources-assessment/2020
FAO. 2022. The State of the World’s Forests 2022. Forest pathways for green recovery and building inclusive, resilient and sustainable economies. Rome, https://www.fao.org/3/cb9360en/cb9360en.pdf
Gitonga, D. et al. Roos, A. (2023). Kenyan Youth Perspectives on Forests: report from a youth-scientist dialogue on sustainable forestry. SLU-Global, Uppsala. https://afforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/african_youth_4_forests_report_2023_final.pdf
Gordon et al. 2014 Respiratory risks from household air pollution in low and middle-income countries. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine vol 2014, pp 1-34. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213260014701687
IPBES 2019. Summary for policymakers of the global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. S. Díaz et al. (eds.). IPBES secretariat, Bonn, Germany. https://files.ipbes.net/ipbes-web-prod-public-files/ipbes_global_assessment_report_summary_for_policymakers.pdf
IPCC, 2022: Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC. Cambridge University Press. (selected parts). https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005. Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Synthesis. Island Press, Washington, DC. https://www.millenniumassessment.org/documents/document.356.aspx.pdf
Mutta D, Mahamane L, Wekesa C, Kowero G, Roos A. Sustainable Business Models for Informal Charcoal Producers in Kenya. Sustainability. 2021; 13(6):3475. https://publications.slu.se/?file=publ/show&id=111185
Roos, A., Mutta, D., Larwanou, M., Wekesa, C., & Kowero, G. (2021). Operations and improvement needs in the informal charcoal sector: a participatory value stream analysis. International Forestry Review, 23(3), 351-364. https://publications.slu.se/?file=publ/show&id=113903
Di Sacco, A., Hardwick, K. A., Blakesley, D., Brancalion, P. H., Breman, E., Cecilio Rebola, L., … & Antonelli, A. (2021). Ten golden rules for reforestation to optimize carbon sequestration, biodiversity recovery and livelihood benefits. Global Change Biology, 27(7), 1328-1348. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33494123/
Schackleton et al. 2011. Opportunities for enhancing poor women’s socioeconomic empowerment in the value chains of three African non-timber forest products (NTFPs). International Forestry Review Vol.13(2) https://www.jstor.org/stable/24310664
Sunderland, T and Ndoye, O. (Eds.) 2004. Forest Products, Livelihoods and Conservation - Case Studies of Non-Timber Forest Product Systems. Vol 2 Africa https://www.cifor-icraf.org/publications/pdf_files/Books/NTFPAfrica/TOC-Chapter6.PDF
UNECE/FAO 2022. Forest Products Annual Market Review 2021-2022. https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2023-02/2228765E_Inside_final_signa_red.pdf
Wekesa C., Mutta D, Larwanou, M, Kowero G, Roos A. 2023. Effects of charcoal ban on value chains and livelihoods in Kenyan Coast – stakeholders’ perceptions. Environmental Development. 45, 100809, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2023.100809.
Literature to have read for external lectures:
Cecilia Mark Herbert: 3/9/2024
van Noordwijk, M. Agroforestry-Based Ecosystem Services: Reconciling Values of Humans and Nature in Sustainable Development. *Land *2021, 10, 699. https://doi.org/10.3390/land10070699Links to an external site.
2021 van Noordwijk Agroforestry-based ecosystem services … Land.pdf
\+ Lecture handouts and weblinks