23 June 2014: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has released the 2014 edition of its landmark publication on ‘The State of the World’s Forests’ (SOFO). The publication highlights the important role of forests and forest products in supporting livelihoods, noting that forests remain undervalued in decision-making.

In particular, SOFO reports that 1.3 billion people live in houses made of wood, more than half of the populations of 29 countries use wood fuel as their principle source of energy, and more than 44 million people are employed by the formal and informal forest sectors.

The report underscores forests’ contributions to livelihoods, shelter, food and water security, and energy, noting however, that the policy focus in many countries remains on the formal forest sector and does not capture these benefits. The report suggests that future forest-related research center on people in addition to trees, measurements of the value of forest ecosystem services, and planning that considers the role of forests in basic service provision. The SOFO also suggests additional capacity building on sustainable forest management (SFM), better market access for forest products, and further investment in efficient production, especially within the informal sector.

The report was released at the opening of the 22nd Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO 22). Other highlights from the opening of COFO include the appointment of Prince Laurent of Belgium as the Special Ambassador to FAO for Forests and the Environment. FAO also announced the continuation of its partnership with the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF), and signed of a Memorandum of Understanding with the government of the Republic of Korea to support the Forest Landscape Restoration Mechanism.

The SOFO compliments the first volume of the ‘State of the World’s Forest Genetic Resources’ released in May 2014. Editions of SOFO have been published every second year from 1995 to 2011, with the previous edition published in 2012. [Publication: State of the World’s Forests 2014] [FAO Press Release] [COFO Webcast] [UN Press Release]