FE 456: International Forestry

CONTENT: The topic for your team project may be almost anything related to international forestry-including issues, practices, policies, species, or techniques associated with the growing, harvesting, or marketing of the world's forest resources (not limited to trees).
In developing your team paper, you must consult outside sources and:

1. cite at least 5 outside resources other than INTERNET sites.
2. Include a standard bibliography that will allow others to actually find the works you are citing.
3. You may cite web sites, but these are in addition to the 5 printed sources (note: you may find a "printed source" that is made available via the internet by OSU Libraries).
4. All INTERNET sources should include the complete address (URL) and, if possible, the author or publishing authority and date of publication.
5. The paper should be 5-7 pages long (typed and double-spaced).

CITING SOURCES:

1. Within your paper, include the last name or names of the author(s), followed by the date, and the page number (or numbers) on which you found the information. For example: (Avery, 2006, 13-26).
2. Within your bibliography, use any standard format (APA, CBE, etc.), but always include enough information that the reader can find the exact publication you read if he/she wishes.

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Know the resources available to you.  If you have not used the resources available via the OSU Libraries recently, be sure to read this page during the first week of classes. Plan to take full advantage of the library's resources, these include:
  • Use of the OSU Libraries catalog to see what books and reports are available on your topic in Corvallis and request electronically.
  • Use of the "Summit" catalog to see what books and reports are available on your topic in Oregon/Washington and request them electronically.
  • Use of the research oriented databases to locate scholarly writings on your topic.
• During the second week review the list of project topics and/or have an idea what topic you (your group) would like to investigate.
• By the beginning of the third week (April 13), begin with a small research assignment:
  • Try to find at least three articles (in journals) or chapters (in books) related to the topic you hope to write on.
  • Use these articles to come up with the 3-5 questions you need to turn in that Friday (April 17).
• This process of looking for two or three good references, will provide you with a lot of information including:
  • useful terminology,
  • useful databases
  • people and organizations that may do research your topic,
• If you have difficulty locating information on your topic or questions in general, jot them down and bring them to class on Friday (April 24) when you meet with me, Bonnie Avery.
• Meanwhile, remember to use multiple resources: Google is useful but it is only one tool. Library databases may take more effort, but they will also result in a better final product.
• Plan to complete your "literature review" searching 2 weeks before you write your rough draft (May 8).    This way you will have time in case you need to request something via Summit or via interlibrary loan you will have time (allow at least 3 days for Summit; 5 days for Interlibrary Loan).

These topic ideas group project topics are taken from the syllabus for FE/FOR 456, Spring 2009.   If you have questions about them be sure to ask your instructors first.   I will hightlight in green the topics selected by groups and new topics before meeting with your class on April 24th. --B. Avery

New Group topics:

• Harvesting in extreme forest areas. (Group 3)
• Indigenous agroforestry systems in Latin America and the threat they face from overutilization. (Group 8) 

Here are 24 thoughts for possible projects suggested by your course instructors. The ideas presented here are not to be considered inclusive, but should get you thinking.

1. Choose among the several important tree species and characterize its importance distribution, uses, management and protection. Examples include:
   • Any or several of the pine species found distributed around the world such as loblolly, the Mexican pines, tropical pines.
   • Any one species or group from the Australian genera including eucalyptus, acacia, or causarinas.
   • A single species such as
     • Sal (the most important tree is India),
     • Acacia mearnsii,
     • Douglas-fir outside of North America, or
     • Luceana (a nitrogen fixing shrub from Central America).
   • Mangrove (the tropical saltwater tree).
   • Bamboo, sometimes referred to as "the poor man's timber." (Group 2/Eucalypts; Group 4/mangroves)
2. Discuss the importance of conservation of woody plant germ plasm and strategies to achieve conservation.
3. Identify harvesting systems suitable for moist tropical forests: advantages, disadvantages, and costs.
4. Investigate aspects of the fuelwood issue, the most common use of wood, including distribution of use, opportunities to improve efficiency, alternative fuels.
5. Discuss the silvicultural, social, and environmental dimensions of one of the following:
   • tropical forest management,
   • arid land management,
   • agro/silva/pastoral forestry,
   • community/social forestry.
6. Consider trends in Brazil's tropical and subtropical forests, including plantations. In what ways is Brazil's pathway to economic development similar to the United States in the last century?
7. Compare Chile and New Zealand's experience in forest development based upon exotic plantations. What is similar, what is different? What are the lessons for other countries?
8. Skeptics maintain the large-scale capital intensive forest industries are inappropriate for most developing countries. What is the evidence the methods of large scale production can be modified to make them economic on a smaller scale?
9. Consider the implications of log exports and log export bans both from developed and developing countries. Who wins? Who loses?
10. Who benefits and who loses from forest certification? Is forest certification a trade barrier? Does it discriminate between vertically integrated producers and small woodland owners? 
11. Shifting cultivation is suggested as the major cause of tropical deforestation. How would you measure its successes and failures? Are there alternatives?
12. Most of the world's food comes from 9 plants. Should the world's wood products come from 5 trees? Should forestry borrow agriculture's techniques to satisfy wood requirements? What are the advantages and disadvantages? (Group 1) 
13. Pick one of the recent global conventions, such as Convention on Climate Change or the Convention on Biodiversity. Explore the origins. What were the agreements, the disagreements? How is the convention to be implemented?
14. The Sahara Desert is said to be increasing at 15,000 square km per year. Is this possible? What are the causes? What are the options to reverse the trend? 
15. The Amazon Rainforest is said to be shrinking at 18,000 square km per year? Is this possible? What are the causes? What are the options to reverse the trend? (Group 7) 
16. In the Russian Far East, scientists anticipate that Siberian Larch will move north and spruce will take its place if the Earth becomes warmer. What trends would be expected elsewhere? What are the positive and negative considerations for other forests?
17. Centrally planned or state ownership of forest resources is often suggested as more appropriate than market-oriented ownership. Is there compelling evidence that this is true?
18. Teak is the first tropical timber to be intensively managed, mainly to meet the needs of the British Navy. Today teak is managed in many tropical regions. Describe its origins, its management, and its use in world forests today.
19. Explore the issue of desertification. What is its extent, causes and remedies?
20. Illegal log trade has become common in some parts of the world. What is it and what can be done to stop this activity? 
21. Sustainable Forest Management has been recognized as the best concept of managing our forests by the UN forum on forests and member countries. What should be done to contribute to this effort?
22. Compare the perceptions of forestry by country or region (Japan, Germany, Scandinavia, Russia, Canada) with the United States. (Group 5; Group 6; Group 9)
23. Plantations for wood products are one use of domesticated trees. Many other domesticated trees form important human food sources. Identify the major domesticated food trees of the tropics, and trace their development and extent.
24. Regeneration of natural forests and restoration of degraded watersheds: how can we accelerate regeneration and recovery of natural forests in the tropics.

United Nations Affiliated:

• FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization, http://www.fao.org
• UNDP - United Nations Development Program, http://www.undp.org
• UNEP - United Nations Environmental Program, http://www.unep.org
• UNESCO - United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization, http://www.unesco.org

World Bank and Regional Banks:

• World Bank, http://www.worldbank.org
• Latin American Development Bank, http://www.ladb.org
• African Development Bank, http://www.afdb.org
• Asian Development Bank, http://www.adb.org
• IMF -- International Monetary Fund, http://www.imf.org

Bilateral Organizations and Governmental Agencies:

United States:

• USAID - US Agency for International Development, http://www.usaid.gov (loads slowly)
• US Peace Corps, http://www.peacecorps.gov
• US Forest Service International Program,   http://www.fs.fed.us/global

Australia

• ACIAR -- Australian Center for International Agriculture Research, http://www.aciar.gov.au
• Australia Agency for International Development http://www.ausaid.gov.au

UK

• Department for International Development, http://www.dfid.gov.uk

Canada

• CIDA -- Canadian International Development Agency, http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca

Sweden

• Swedish International Development Agency, http://www.sida.se

Finland

• Finnish International Development Agency, http://www.ifad.org

Germany

• GTZ -- German Technical Assistance, http://www.gtz.de

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

Research

ITTO - International Tropical Timber Organization, http://www.itto.or.jp

CGIAR - Consultative Group for International Agriculture Research http://www.cgiar.org

• ICRAF -- International Centre for Research in Agroforestry, now the World Agroforestry Centre, http://www.icraf.cgiar.org
• CIFOR - Center for International Forestry Research, http://www.cifor.cgiar.org

Scientific

IUFRO - International Union of Forest Research Organizations, http://www.iufro.org

IDRC - International Development and Research Centre, http://www.idrc.ca

Resources for the Future

http://www.rff.org

East West Center

http://www.eastwestcenter.org

European Forestry Institute                                       

http://www.efi.fi

International Network for Bamboo and Rattan        http://www.inbar.int

Environmental

IUCN/WWF, http://www.iucn.org

Nature Conservancy http://www.nature.org

Sierra Club, http://www.sierraclub.org

World Resources Institute, http://www.wri.org

Humanitarian

International Committee for the Red Cross , http://www.icrc.org CARE, http://www.care.org

Save the Children, http://www.savethechildren.org.uk

Doctors without Borders (Medecins sans frontiers) http://www.msf.org

Engineers without Borders-USA (one of many sites for this organization), http://www.ewb-usa.org/

Other resources for NGOs

Directory of Humanitarian NGOs, http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwc.nsf/contactdirhome?openform

World Directory of Development Organizations and Programs, http://www.coop4coop.org