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Session #4 – 19 Apr 2024

The International Society of Tropical Foresters (ISTF) and the International Forestry Working Group of the Society of American Foresters (IFWG-SAF) are offering the online symposium “Legacy of the Tropical Forest Foundation” on Friday 19 January 2024 for 2.5 hours, at 7-930am Seattle, 10am-1230pm Washington DC, 10pm-1230am Jakarta. The Tropical Forest Foundation was active from 1990 to 2015, with independent branches in Brazil, Indonesia, and Guyana, South America, continuing today. The TFF was a unique forum that engaged industry, conservation and researchers in productive dialogue about tropical forestry. The TFF had much impact by developing techniques and demonstration projects for low impact logging for the tropics, and the influence of the TFF continues today.

More information is posted at https://tropicalforesters.org/blog/2024/01/13/online-symposium-legacy-of-the-tropical-forest-foundation-19-jan-2023/. Find your time zone at https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html. Register for the session at https://forms.gle/gNxFG59PDHN4mam96. Questions? Contact tropicalforesters@gmail.com

Symposium schedule:

a. Introduction to ISTF and IFWG-SAF. Sheila Ward, ISTF (2 min)

b. Intro to Symposium and speakers. Mike Sterner, ISTF (5 min)

c. History of the Tropical Forest Foundation. Keister Evans, Forest Carbon Offsets, LCC. USA. (10 min)

d. Development and Implementation of Reduced Impact Logging by the Tropical Forest Foundation. Jim Bowyer, University of Minnesota, USA (10 min)

e. Collaboration for the Tropical Forest Foundation: Education, research, and outreach. A. L. (Tom) Hammett, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA (15 min)

f. Some Lessons Learned from Johan Zweede, Art Klassen, and the Rest of TFF. Jack Putz, University of Florida, USA (15 min)

h. TFF: Reduced Impact, Improved Income & Better Market Credibility. Hasbie HASBILLAH, Tropical Forest Foundation-Indonesia (15 min)

i. Open Discussion (Moderators Sterner / Ward – 50 min)

SPEAKERS

*Keister Evans, Former Executive Director/President, Tropical Forest Foundation; President/Owner, International Woods, Inc. of Virginia; President/CEO Forest Carbon Offsets, LCC. USA. keisterevans@forestcarbonoffsets.net

Keister Evans was co-founder of the Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF) in 1990 and served as TFF Executive Director (1990-2010) and President/Executive Director (2009-2010). Keister received his BS and MS from Virginia Tech and his early work experience included being a VA Tech County Agricultural Extension Agent in Virginia. He has served as the Executive Director of the American Rose Society, the American Horticultural Society, and the International Wood Products Association. He currently is President/Owner of International Woods, Inc. of Virginia (1982- ), and President/CEO of Forest Carbon Offsets, LCC (2009- ).

History of the Tropical Forest Foundation

The Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF) was formed in 1990 as the result of a Tropical Forestry Workshop held at the Smithsonian Institution in October 1989. The workshop was sponsored by the International Wood Products Assn (IWPA) in response to severe criticism by international publications and NGOs as having major responsibility for the rapidly diminishing tropical forests. The workshop was suggested by and chaired by Dr. Thomas Lovejoy, an official at the Smithsonian (who also served as the first Chairman of TFF), and involved authorities in tropical forestry and related disciplines from major tropical timber regions and the U.S. The workshop concluded that the tropical forest can be used and retained if given economic value and sustainable harvesting methods are practiced. TFF then set forth to established offices and demonstration projects in Africa, Indonesia, Brazil and Guyana, South America. A concept known as Reduced Impact Logging (RIL), was introduced by TFF, and demonstrated and taught at the forestry training camps. Thousands of individuals have received TFF RIL training and vast areas of tropical forests have been affected. These initial efforts and the concept of Reduced Impact Logging have been widely accepted and continue to be practiced in the tropical timber trades.

*Jim Bowyer, Former Chairman, Tropical Forest Foundation; Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering. USA. jimbowyer@comcast.net

Bowyer is a Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering. A specialist in wood-based bio-products and life-cycle assessment, and elected fellow of the International Academy of Wood Science, Bowyer has authored several books and numerous scientific articles. Bowyer has served as President of the International Society of Wood Science and Technology and of the Forest Products Society, and as Vice President and co-founder of the Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials. He joined the TFF Board of Directors in 1995, and served as Chairman 2006-2008. He is currently a Senior Contributor with the Minneapolis-based Dovetail Partners consulting firm.

Development and Implementation of Reduced Impact Logging by the Tropical Forest Foundation.

In this presentation, findings that informed the development of TFF training programs and the Reduced Impact Logging (RIL) standard will be discussed. An initial project at Cauaxi, Brazil dramatically illustrated the differences between logging using traditional methods vs. responsible logging employing best practices. TFF built upon this project, creating training programs within a larger surrounding concession where those involved in the logging industry could come to learn better ways of doing things, and where scientists, educators, and others could come to view and study impacts of forest operations. The organizational structure of TFF will be described as will the basic philosophy of training site selection and program development. The nature of training programs, and development of region-specific training materials will also be discussed.

* A. L. (Tom) Hammett, Professor, Sustainability, Design and Innovation, and lead of the Non-timber Forest Products Program, Department of Sustainable Biomaterials, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, and Research Faculty, Future Generations University, Franklin, West Virginia USA. himal@vt.edu  

Tom focuses on human and institutional capacity development (HICD) and sustainable nature-based enterprise development, specializing in non-timber forest products and services. He has served Virginia Tech since 1995 as Professor in the area of Sustainability, Innovation and Design in the Department of Sustainable Biomaterials, College of Natural Resources and Environment (CNRE). From 2005 to 2015, he served on the Board of the Tropical Forest Foundation. Tom seeks to improve educational opportunities and link them to local enterprise development and sustainment of natural resources. He has served as project director for a global agricultural education and training capacity program. Tom has worked in over forty countries, including developing agri-business training resources in Armenia, and the utilization of specialty crops and forest products in Thailand. In 2023 he led a group of Virginia educators to work with university faculty in Tanzania and Kenya.

Collaboration for the Tropical Forest Foundation: Education, research, and outreach

The legacy of building and supporting training sites and making RIL training available to harvesting and management entities had long lasting impact on forest conservation. While the Foundation made important progress in developing Reduced Impact Logging and then promoting its use, other areas emerged as critical to forest conservation. Extending the role of the Tropical Forest Foundation by reaching out to educational institutions through our board members, and new partners became increasingly important. Work developed in new areas included early research with carbon, the impact of mining on forests, and incorporating examples from our work in classroom curriculum and other materials. Working relationships with forest landowners, both government and private, was important for the Foundation. Building linkages and facilitating education and research collaboration with non-government organizations and universities was a natural first step.

Francis E. (Jack) Putz. Distinguished Professor of Biology and Forestry, University of Florida, USA; and Forest Research Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland fep@ufl.edu

F.E. “Jack” Putz is a researcher focused on improvements of the fates of tropical forests through improved management for timber, non-timber forest products, biodiversity, and other natural values. He served on the TFF Permanent Review Committee in 1993 and on the TFF Board 1999-2002, but was much involved with TFF throughout its existence, benefiting greatly from the tutelage of Johan Zweede and Art Klassen, late and lamented leaders in tropical forestry.  Jack is a professor at the University of Florida (since 1982) and at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia (since 2023).

Some Lessons Learned from Johan Zweede, Art Klassen, and the Rest of TFF

I shared with TFF my career-long efforts to improve the fates of tropical forests through improved management but only joined the Board in 1999. Long before that I was a student of two late and lamented TFF forest engineers, Johan Zweede and Art Klassen. My formal training as an ecologist did not prepare me to implement the Reduced-Impact Logging (RIL) we all endorsed—that’s where the expertise of Johan and Art were so critical. In retrospect, I should have been more involved with TFF from the outset; academics, like me, are seldom offered opportunities to interact with representatives of major corporations involved in the forest sector (e.g., Caterpillar and Stihl) or with those involved in the international trade in forest products. Since its closure in 2015, the platform provided by TFF has not been replicated but is much needed.

Hasbie Hasbillah, Executive Director, Tropical Forest Foundation Indonesia. Indonesia; Member, Board of Directors Indonesia Ecolabel Institute hasbie@tff-indonesia.org

Hasbie HASBILLAH has more than 30 years of experience in forest management, including planning, operations, environment, industry, and social and policy of natural and plantation forests in Indonesia, South East Asia, and the Pacific. He has conducted extensive fieldwork for planning and operational logging to implement Reduced Impact Logging (RIL). Hasbie has been lead auditor for both the International and National Standards for Sustainable Forest Management and Palm Oil Certification He is a RIL Carbon trainer who also conducts Assessment of High Conservation Value, High Carbon Stock and Climate Change. In the last ten years Hasbie, has pursued Forest Carbon accounting for natural forests.

TFF: Reduced Impact, Improved Income & Better Market Credibility

TFF is an international coalition of industry, conservation, and scientific leaders working to achieve to the sustainable management of tropical timber. TFF has established demonstration models and training schools to show the advantages and teach the principles of sustainable forest management and Reduced Impact Logging (RIL), including Reduced Impact Logging Carbon (RIL Carbon). TFF promotes sustainable tropical forest management by gathering and disseminating information about its benefits and by teaching proper management practices to promote trade in forest products from legally sourced and sustainably managed timber. Adoption of RIL will: 1) Reduce impact on soil and future crop trees up to 50 %; 2) Save money up to 20%, with improved efficiency, higher productivity, less waste, less conflict; 3) Promote market credibility; and 4) Reduce emissions of CO2 by 30 to 60 %. TFF has contributed to the success of forest certification of more than 2 million hectares by FSC standards in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Papua New Guinea.

La Sociedad Internacional de Forestales Tropicales (ISTF) y el Grupo de Trabajo de Silvicultura Internacional de la Sociedad de Silvicultores Americanos (IFWG-SAF) ofrecen una tercera sesión del simposio en línea ” La leña en el tropico: De las cocinas a la deforestación” en el viernes el 12 de enero de 2024 a las 16:00 Costa Rica y México DF, 17:00 Perú, 22:00 UTC. Muchos de los trópicos dependen en combustibles de madera para cocinar. Busca para su hora en https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html. Registarse para la sesión en ESTE ENLACE.

¿Preguntas? Contactar a tropicalforesters@gmail.com

Información sobre Sesión #1 (ingles) se encuentra en ESTE ENLACE . Los videos de las presentaciones de Sesión #1 se encuentra en ESTE ENLACE . Información sobre Sesión #2 (ingles) se encuentra en ESTE ENLACE. Los videos de las presentaciones de Sesión #2 se encuentra en ESTE ENLACE.

El programa de la Sesión #3:

1. Introducción al simposio. Sheila Ward o Mike Sterner, ISTF (5 minutos)
2. Introducción de los presentadores. Luis Armando Aznar Molina, ICA-Tren Maya, México (5 minutos)
3. Consumo de leña y carbón vegetal y su impacto en la deforestación de bosques naturales en Comunidades Nativas de Aguaytía – Perú. Jorge Álvarez Melo, Profesor, Universidad Nacional Agraria de la Selva, Perú (15 minutos)
4. Análisis financiero de una plantación familiar de Gliricidia sepium. Carlos Navarro, CATIE, Jubilado, Costa Rica (15 minutos)
5. Manejo local de rebrotes para el abasto de leña y carbón en una región indígena de México. Patricia Gerez Fernández, CITRO – Universidad Veracruzana, México. (15 minutos)
6. Leña y carbón en la nueva ruralidad: Percepciones de cambio en Sierra de Zongolica, México. Antonio Sierra Huelsz, Investigador posdoctoral CONACyT, Universidad de Guadalajara, México (15 minutos)
7. Discusión abierta (Moderador: Luis, Mike y/o Sheila ~60 minutos)

PRESENTADORES:

*Jorge Álvarez Melo, Profesor, Universidad Nacional Agraria de la Selva, Tingo María, Huánuco, Perú jorge.alvarez@unas.edu.pe / jorge.alvarezm10@gmail.com

Ingeniero en Recursos Naturales Renovables, Mención Forestales. Egresado de la Maestría en Conservación de Recursos Forestales de la Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina. Con capacitación específica en Marco normativo forestal y ambiental, instrumentos y herramientas asociadas a la gestión forestal y de fauna silvestre. Manejo, aprovechamiento, certificación y trazabilidad forestal. Restauración de ecosistemas forestales y medidas de mitigación y adaptación al cambio climático. Profesor en la Escuela Profesional de Ingeniería Forestal de la Universidad Nacional Agraria de la Selva en Tingo María (Huánuco-Perú). Determinación y evaluación de bosques de alto valor de conservación, participando en proyectos, asesorías y consultorías.

Consumo de leña y carbón vegetal y su impacto en la deforestación de bosques naturales en Comunidades Nativas de Aguaytía – Perú

La investigación se desarrolla en las comunidades nativas de Yamino, Mariscal Cáceres y Santa Rosa, ubicadas en la cuenca media del río Aguaytía, cuya finalidad principal es evaluar el efecto del consumo de leña y carbón vegetal en la deforestación de los bosques amazónicos. La investigación es de naturaleza aplicada, práctica y descriptiva y consiste en realizar evaluaciones de campo, determinando la situación actual de los bosques, mediante el uso de encuestas a la población local. Además, se pretende estimar la superficie de bosques que vienen siendo afectado por la extracción de leña y carbón, fortalecer capacidades locales, para formar aliados en la conservación y recuperación de los bienes y servicios ecosistémicos, a través de estrategias de restauración de paisajes forestales, disminuir la presión antrópica hacia los bosques, mediante el consumo eficiente de leña y carbón para uso doméstico, proveniente de plantaciones forestales con especies adecuadas para tal fin.

*Carlos Manuel Navarro. Investigador Jubilado, Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE), Costa Rica. carlosmanuelnavarro@gmail.com

Carlos Navarro estudia ingeniería forestal en el TEC, su tesis de bachillerato fue sobre bosque secundario seco, su tesis de maestría fue sobre modelos de crecimiento de P. quinata. Fue Coordinador del proyecto Leña, el cual investigó al inicio 150 especies forestales. Su pasión por el estudio y la conservación de los árboles y su diversidad genética hicieron que se involucrara en una gran colección para la conservación de la caoba (Swietenia macrophylla), recogió muestras de México a Panamá y Bolivia. Hizo su doctorado en la Universidad de Helsinki y su tesis doctoral versó sobre los recursos genéticos de C. odorata L.

Análisis financiero de una plantación familiar de Gliricidia sepium

La leña es utilizada en la mayoría de los hogares rurales de Centroamérica, se estima que alrededor de un 80 por ciento de la población consume leña para cocinar. Además, muchas industrias de pequeña y mediana escala la utilizan para la elaboración de sus productos. Luego de evaluar el potencial de producción para leña de alrededor de 150 especies. Se escogió entre ellas el G. sepium, especie leguminosa fijadora de nitrógeno, y se realizó un aprovechamiento de una pequeña plantación, se obtuvo la producción por hectárea y se elaboró un análisis financiero. Los resultados muestran que esta especie tiene un alto potencial para la producción y satisfacción de las necesidades de leña de los hogares rurales.

*Patricia Gerez Fernández. Académica del Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales, en la Universidad Veracruzana. Xalapa, Veracruz, México. pgerez@gmail.com

Estudié Biología en la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM); Maestría en Ciencias Forestales en Yale University; Doctorado en la UNAM. Trabajé diez años en certificación forestal en el Consejo Civil Mex para la Silvicultura Sostenible A.C., bajo los estándares del FSC; colaboré siete años en el proyecto de gestión compartida de cuencas y diseño del programa de compensación por servicios ambientales hidrológicos con SENDAS, A.C. en Xalapa, Veracruz. Mi experiencia e intereses son manejo forestal comunitario/campesino, ecología forestal, recursos de uso común, usos tradicionales de los bosques, y dinámicas de uso del suelo y de los bosques manejados a largo plazo.

Manejo local de rebrotes para el abasto de leña y carbón en una región indígena de México

En las zonas rurales del trópico la madera es la fuente de energía más accesible. Numerosos trabajos abordan eficientizar su consumo; sin embargo, pocos documentan el manejo local de especies dendroenergéticas. En la sierra nahua de Zongolica, Veracruz los sistemas agroforestales tradicionales se conforman con bosques mixtos, plantaciones forestales, milpas y pastos para borregos, donde se producen alimentos, madera, lana, leña y carbón vegetal, esenciales para el bienestar familiar. Documentamos las prácticas de manejo a especies arbóreas utilizadas para dendroenergía. El abasto de materia prima para leña y carbón proviene de aprovechar rebrotes o coppice de Quercus, Alnus y otras especies, es un sistema cíclico (5 hasta 15 años), con podas periódicas. Los fragmentos arbolados se ubican en áreas de mayor pedregosidad y pendiente en las parcelas. Este manejo expresa un conocimiento ecológico tradicional especializado y mantiene una diversidad de encinos, en riesgo por expansión de plantaciones de pino y desinterés de los jóvenes, lo que amenaza el abasto dendroenergético y las especies.

*José Antonio Sierra Huelsz. Investigador posdoctoral CONACyT, Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales, Universidad Veracruzana. Xalapa, México. (en la que se hizo el trabajo); Investigador posdoctoral CONACyT, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Guadalajara. Zapopan, México. (actual); Associate, People and Plants International; jashpat@gmail.com

José Antonio Sierra Huelsz es mexicano, biólogo y maestro en ciencias biológicas por la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, y doctor en ciencias forestales con una especialidad interdisciplinaria en Conservación y Desarrollo Tropical por la Universidad de Florida. Antonio ha trabajado y realizado estancias posdoctorales en diversas universidades mexicanas y ha colaborado con iniciativas de la sociedad civil y la academia en temas de manejo forestal comunitario, productos forestales no maderables, sistemas agroforestales, agrobiodiversidad, entre otros. El trabajo que presenta lo realizó de manera colaborativa como parte de una estancia posdoctoral en el Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales, Universidad Veracruzana.

Leña y carbón en la nueva ruralidad: Percepciones de cambio en Sierra de Zongolica, México

La leña y el carbón son elementos clave para los medios de vida rurales en Latinoamérica. Mientras que generalmente la leña cubre las necesidades energéticas domésticas, el carbón se produce para mercados urbanos. Este trabajo se centra en la Sierra de Zongolica (SZ), una región indígena montañosa del E de México. Usando el concepto de nueva ruralidad, exploramos las percepciones locales de cambio en la provisión, producción, uso y subministro de leña y carbón en la SZ. Basados en entrevistas a distintos actores, realizamos análisis principalmente cualitativos los cuales nos permitieron identificar las diferencias entre leña y carbón para la SZ, tanto en las especies usadas y su manejo, como en las tendencias y dinámicas socioecológicas asociadas.

The International Society of Tropical Foresters has opened a fundraising campaign at Paypal https://www.paypal.com/pools/c/8YeclaXV3J to strengthen ISTF to serve members and chapters better. The fundraiser closes on 4 November 2023.

ISTF is an information-sharing network promoting scientific knowledge and best practices for the sustainable, equitable conservation and management of the world’s tropical forests. We now have over 2300 members in 110 countries. Membership is free and open to all who are committed to the conservation and sustainable use of tropical forest resources. ISTF has been running entirely on volunteer labor and minimal funding. We want to keep membership free to be as inclusive as possible, especially for our members from tropical countries.

We need your help in order to serve members and chapters better, reach more people, and improve our flow of information on tropical forest resources. We want to do this by improving the website (https://tropicalforesters.org), including a members-only platform to help members connect to each other, improving virtual conferencing and the Newsletter, and translating resources to Spanish and French for our members in Latin America and Francophone Africa.

Donations are processed through the PayPal Giving Fund, a 501(c)(3) charity, and are tax-deductible in the USA (subject to the terms at https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/givingfund/policies/donor-terms-of-services. The PayPal Giving Fund doesn’t charge any transactions fees, although your credit card and bank transfer fees would still apply.

Please contact tropicalforester@gmail.com with any questions.

Online Symposium: “Fuelwood in the tropics: From cooking stoves to deforestation” Session #2 – 10 Oct 2023

The International Society of Tropical Foresters (ISTF) and the International Forestry Working Group of the Society of American Foresters (IFWG-SAF) are offering the second session of the online symposium “Fuelwood in the tropics: From cooking stoves to deforestation” on Tuesday 10 October 2023 at 10 EDT – 12 EDT (New York City Local Time | UTC – 4). More information is posted at xxx. Find your time zone at https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html. Register for the session at https://forms.gle/d58cv1aGxnxChtLh9.

The presentation videos from Session #1 are available at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwGsom_l27zq4vUOEqEvPajLMeFuK2BfY .

Symposium schedule:

a. Introduction to the symposium series. Sheila Ward, ISTF (2 min)

b. Intro to speakers and topic. Puneet Dwivedi, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, USA & IFWG-SAF (5 min)

c. Efficient Fuelwood Use as a Strategy to Reduce Household Pressure on Natural Forests of the Guinea Savannah Zone of Nigeria. Omotayo Idris Ajao, University of Ilorin and Save Sahara Network, Nigeria.(15 min)

d. Charcoal Movements inside Zambian Cities: From Peri-urban Markets to Low and Medium Density Suburbs. Nixon Chisonga, School of Social Sciences, Mulungushi University, Zambia (15 min))

e. Potential of Carbonized Briquettes to Enhance Sustainability in Woodfuel Supply in Sub-Saharan Africa. Timothy Namaswa, School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, and Kenya Forestry Research Institute, Kenya (15 min)

f. The KLIMA project: Firewood for reforestation in Haiti. Freny Alcinat, Centre d’enseignement et de coopération internationale, Haiti and Catherine Ruest Belanger, Viridis Terra International, Canada (15 min)

g. Open Discussion (Moderators Dwivedi / Ward – 50 min)

The symposium videos will also be posted on the ISTF YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC64ds-AZiXfNPtJ-gX4Jw1w

SPEAKERS

*Omotayo Idris Ajao, Graduate Teaching and Research Assistant at the Department of Forest Resources Management, University of Ilorin and Program Coordinator at Save Sahara Network, Nigeria

Omotayo Idris AJAO, graduated with a B. Forestry and Wildlife degree from the University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria. Currently, he serves as a Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant in the same department, working under the guidance of Dr. Folaranmi Babalola. During his time as an undergraduate, Omotayo collaborated with senior researchers on projects related to Ecological Assessment, Land use and Land volume equations, Silviculture, and Environmental Education. His research interests revolve around Forest dynamics and Forest Ecology, Biodiversity Conservation, Silviculture, and Forest Economics. Omotayo has actively participated in numerous national and international conferences, further enriching his academic and professional experience.

Efficient Fuelwood Use as a Strategy to Reduce Household Pressure on Natural Forests of the Guinea Savannah Zone of Nigeria

The research investigates the socio-economic factors influencing the adoption and utilization of efficient cookstoves in selected rural communities of the Guinea Savanna zone in Nigeria, before their introduction. The project specifically focuses on rural households located in the Guinea Savanna zone of Kwara State, where charcoal production and firewood collection by households are prevalent. Remarkably, nearly all the surveyed women expressed their willingness to transition from their current inefficient three-stone cookstoves to the improved and efficient cookstoves proposed by the research team. Subsequently, the research team introduced the improved cookstoves to the rural communities with the objective of reducing pressure on natural forests. The cookstoves were constructed for the community members, and they received training on how to build them. Additionally, the project involved the participation of the youth in the communities, as well as the community school teachers, to ensure sustainability by introducing conservation education into their school curriculum.

*Nixon Chisonga, Lecturer, Environmental Issues in Less Developed Countries, School of Social Sciences, Mulungushi University, Zambia

Nixon Chisonga is a Ph.D candidate at the University of Lusaka (Zambia). He holds an M.Phil and Honours Degrees from the University of Cape Town (South Africa) and a BA Degree from the University of Zambia (Zambia). He is a Lecturer of Environmental Issues in the Third World Countries at Mulungushi University. In 2011/12, he designed the Socio-economic component of the Integrated Land Use Assessment project (ILUA) for Zambia and finalised as a Forest Livelihoods and Economic Survey. He has over the years conducted research studies on renewable energy; conservation farming; as well as land tenure and socio-economic dynamics of Game Management Areas of North-western province of Zambia.

Charcoal Movements inside Zambian Cities: From Peri-urban Markets to Low and Medium Density Suburbs

This is the first study to investigate the contribution of low and medium density suburbs to charcoal consumption inside two Zambian cities: Lusaka and Kitwe. The study used rapid assessment surveys at two intervals to examine charcoal movement between 2012 and 2019. A total of 941 individual consumers of charcoal at active charcoal markets in peri-urban areas were interviewed. Individuals were selected to demonstrate the movement of charcoal to the consumers’ areas of residence. Semi-structured questionnaires guided the data collection, and quantitative and qualitative analysis were used. We found that charcoal was widely distributed to low, medium and peri-urban households for household use. Peri-urban areas were mainly receiver and distributor points for onward charcoal movement into low and medium density suburbs of Zambian cities. We used a postcolonial analytical framework to assert that information should not be distorted nor rooted in any historical imbalance of knowledge and power generation, but within local communities in which charcoal consumption occurred.

*Timothy Namaswa, 1). School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, U.K. 2). National Forest Products Research Programme, Kenya Forestry Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya

Timothy Wekesa Namaswa is a commonwealth scholar from Kenya, working as a research scientist at Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) under National Forest Products Research Programme. Currently, Mr Namaswa is a PhD student in Plant Science at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, specializing in optimization of biochar production from most common crop residues in Sub-Saharan Africa for bioenergy production and soil amelioration for sustainable development.

Potential of Carbonized Briquettes to Enhance Sustainability in Woodfuel Supply in Sub-Saharan Africa

Carbonized briquettes from agricultural residues could reduce woodfuel demand and deforestation by providing energy that could otherwise be provided by woodfuel. This paper estimated the potential of carbonized briquettes as a source of energy in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) using secondary data. SSA experienced a woodfuel supply-demand deficit of 55.4% by 2022. Annually, SSA generated 469.36 x 106 t yr-1 of surplus residues, that could produce 221.09 x106 t yr-1 of biochar, with the potential of 1700.26 x 106 GJ yr-1 of energy that could otherwise be generated by 249.33 x 106 t yr-1 of wood, that is equivalent to 11.2% of annual woodfuel demand.

*Freny Alcinat¹ and Catherine Ruest Belanger²

¹ Project Manager at CECI (Centre d’enseignement et de coopération internationale), Haiti

² Consultant for Viridis Terra International, Canada

Frény Alcinat is an agronomist specialized in natural resources and technology transfer. He is implicated in the design, implementation and monitoring of agroforestry projects throughout his country, working directly with farmers and local organizations to improve their technical skillsets in the face of climate change.

Catherine Ruest Bélanger is a forest engineer specializing in smallholder forestry. She acts as a technical support for the implementation of international development projects in Haiti, while also counselling forest owners in Quebec, Canada, in the field of food sovereignty.

The KLIMA project: Firewood for reforestation in Haiti

The firewood industry has long been blamed for deforestation in Haiti. CECI, an international cooperation organization, and Viridis Terra International, a company specializing in the restoration of degraded lands, decided to turn that story around and make the firewood industry a driver of reforestation. This idea gave birth to the KLIMA project, which took place in the North and Northeast of Haiti from 2017 to 2021. Since then, the project has been extended to the South of Haiti, whilst trees and mentalities have had time to grow in the North and Northeast. We will be delighted to share results and lessons learned from this experience so far.

With collaborators, the International Society of Tropical Foresters (ISTF) is developing session proposals for the XXVI IUFRO World Congress 2024 – Forests and Society towards 2050, to be held 23-29 June 2024 in Stockholm, Sweden. IUFRO invites all who share an interest in the future of forests and forest-related science to submit session proposals!

Want to contribute? 

The deadline for session submissions 13 Oct 2022! 

If you would like to make a presentation in any of the sessions below, please send your name, affiliation, and draft title to tropicalforesters@gmail.com by 8 Oct 2022. 

You do not need to be 100% sure that you will be attending the Congress! The stronger the indications of interest in these sessions, the more likely they are to be included in the Congress program. The draft proposals (still under development) for all these sessions can be obtained here.

The updated proposals will be posted periodically until submission. 

Sessions to be proposed:

• Smart Agroforestry Practices for Sustainable Livelihood
• Urban trees & green landscapes: Monitoring and management for providing multiple services
• Legacy of the Tropical Timber Foundation and sustainable forestry
• Tropical forest restoration success and how to achieve it
• Tropical forestry education: Improving preparation for a challenging future
• Legacy tropical forest data: current status, uses, and securing them
• Research advances towards sustainability for the high-value Meliaceae
• Ecology and management of old-growth forests