July 2013: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has released an edition of Unasylva highlighting 300 years of sustainable forestry. In the editorial, the initial concept of sustainable forestry is attributed to Hans Carl von Carlowitz.

According to the editorial, von Carlowitz promoted the management of forests to ensure a sustainable supply of timber. Eventually known as the ‘close-to-nature approach,’ it spread throughout Europe and to North America.

In addition to the editorial, Unasylva includes articles on sustainable forestry in India, Switzerland and Malaysia. Other articles consider the history of the Centre International de Sylviculture, the definition, expansion and obstacles with regard to sustainable forest management (SFM) and the sustainability of the wooden toy industry. Together these articles explore, among other topics, traditional knowledge and forestry, land tenure systems, harvesting and regeneration techniques, and emerging challenges from climate change.

Finally, Unasylva looks into scenarios for the next 300 years of forests including the expected outcomes of changes in the drivers of forest loss, and growth in the demand for forest resources, along with possible supply-side impacts. [Publication: Unasylva Vol. 64]