The future of the world's forests is at the forefront of environmental debate. Rising concerns over the effects of deforestation and climate change are highlighting the need both to conserve and manage existing forests and woodland through sustainable forestry practices. The Forests Handbook, written by an international team of both scientists and practitioners, presents an integrated approach to forests and forestry, applying our present understanding of forest science to management practices, as a basis for achieving sustainability.

List of contributors Preface to Volume 1 Preface to Volume 2 Acknowledgements 1. History and Impact of Forest ManagementPart 1: Sustaining Forest Influences2. Forest Reserves, Parks and Wilderness: An Australian Perspective3. Forests as Protection from Natural Hazards4. Interventions to enhance the conservation of biodiversityPart 2: Sustainable Wood Production5. assessing Potential Sustainable Wood Yield6. Silvicultural Treatments to Enhance Productivity7. Sustainable Management of Soil and Site8. Management of Pest Threats9. Management of the Disease BurdenPart 3. Sustaining Social Values and Benefits10. Working with Forest Stakeholders11. The New Forest Policy and Joint Forest Management in India12. Trees in the Urban EnvironmentPart 4: Case Studies of Sustainable Management13. The Structure, Functioning and Management of Old Growth Cedar/Hemlock/Fir Forests on Vancouver Island, British Columbia14. The Beech Forests of Haute-Normandie, France15. Restructuring of Plantation Forest, Kielder, UK16. Sustainable Management of the Mountain Ash Forests in the Central Highlands, Victoria, Australia17. Sustainable Management of Malaysian Rain Forest18. Sustainable Plantation Forestry: A Case Study of Wood Production and Environmental Management Strategies in the Usutu Forest, Swaziland Synthesis and Conclusions Index