South-North Challenges in Global Forestry

Several types of transitions are operating in global forestry in the late twentieth century. These include the forest-management transition and the forest-area transition, as well as shifts in forest perceptions and forestry paradigms. A trend towards internationalization and global integration is also reflected by several forms of evidence. An evaluation of the significance of the trend suggests that it is likely that industrial forests in the South will play increasingly important roles in global timber production over the next few decades. At the same time, it is probable that post-industrial forest paradigms will become increasingly established in the North.