This book addresses the urgent and complex threats and challenges to the world's forests posed by the four great problems of the age: climate change, conservation objectives and sustainable development needs, and the growing demand for affordable energy. The intention is to outline the research and other efforts that are needed to understand how these issues will affect the world's forests along with the options and difficulties for dealing with them, as well as the opportunities that the world's forests and production forestry can offer for tackling these very issues.

Included in this book are sections on (1) sustainable forestry & conservation; (2) forest resources worldwide; (3) forests, forestry and climate change; (4) the economics of forestry; (5) tree breeding & commercial forestry; (6) biotechnological approaches; (7) genomic studies with forest trees; (8) bio-energy, lignin & wood; and (9) forest science, including ecological studies. It therefore provides a wide ranging and multidisciplinary view of the role and contribution of forests and forestry for addressing some of the most critical problems and issues facing humanity in the 21st century and the interactions between them.

Contributions are provided by prominent organisations or individuals with an established record of achievement in these subjects, who have been asked to present their ideas on these topics in a manner that is readily accessible to professionals from disciplines other than their own. The aim being to provide a ready source of information and guidance on these topics for a wide range of scientists, policy makers and politicians for many years to come.

Zusammenfassung
This book addresses the challenges and opportunities faced by the world's forests posed by climate change, conservation objectives, and sustainable development needs including bioenergy, outlining the research and other efforts that are needed to understand these issues, along with the options and difficulties for dealing with them. It contains sections on sustainable forestry & conservation; forest resources worldwide; forests, forestry and climate change; the economics of forestry; tree breeding & commercial forestry; biotechnological approaches; genomic studies with forest trees; bio-energy, lignin & wood; and forest science, including ecological studies. The chapters are contributed by prominent organisations or individuals with an established record of achievement in these areas, and present their ideas on these topics with the aim of providing a ready source of information and guidance on these topics for politicians, policy makers and scientists for many years to come.

Inhalt

Foreword.- Introduction.- PART 1. Sustainable Forestry & Conservation Objectives.- 1. A Burning Issue: Tropical Forests and the Health of Global Ecosystems.- 2. Silviculture of planted forests managed for multi-functional objectives: lessons from Chinese and British experiences.- 3. Forests for all? Considering the conservation implications of human-species interactions in the context of multifunctional forestry.- 4. Human engagement with forest environments implications for physical and mental health and wellbeing.- 5. Sustainable Forest Management in China: Achievements in the Past and Challenges Ahead.- 6. The Value of Forest: An Ecological Economic Examination of People's Perspective.- PART 2. Forest Resources Worldwide.- 7. Global trends and outlook for forest resources.- 8. Save the Forests : Use more wood.- PART 3. Forests, Forestry and Climate Change.- 9. Forests in the global carbon cycle.- 10. Forests, Forestry and Climate Change.- 11. Insect invasions and climate change in forest ecosystems.- PART 4. The Economics of Forestry.- 12. How cost-effective is forestry for climate change mitigation?.- 13. Additionality of climate change mitigation activities.- 14. Different Economic Approaches to Forest Management.- PART 5. Tree Breeding & Commercial Forestry.- 15. A Roadmap to Eucalyptus Breeding for Clonal Forestry.- 16. Conifer Somatic Embryogenesis and Multi-varietal Forestry.- 17. Modern Advances in Tree Breeding.- 18. A reality check in population management.- 19. Seed orchards and aspects on supporting tree breeding.- PART 6. Biotechnological approaches.- 20. Biosafety considerations in the context of deployment of GM trees.- 21. Scientific research related to genetically modified trees.- 22. Forest Biotechnology Futures.- 23. Research and Application of Transgenic Poplar in China.- PART 7. Genomic studies with forest trees.- 24. Genomeresequencing in Populus: Revealing large-scale genome variation and implications on specialized-trait genomics.- 25. Comparative and evolutionary genomics of forest trees.- PART 8. Bio-energy, lignin and wood.- 26. Willows as a potential source of renewable fuels and diverse products.- 27. Woodfuel production in the UK - unlocking the existing resource and growing for the future.- 28. Bioenergy opportunities from forests in New Zealand.- 29. Creating the wood supply of the future.- PART 9. Forest Science, including ecological studies.- 30. Planning for the future: Community genetics applications for forest biodiversity and policy.- 31. The long reach of biogenic emissions in the atmosphere.- 32. Ecological aspects of host-insect interactions on the example of Quercus robur and Tortrix viridana.- 33. Forests have survived climate changes and epidemics in the past. Will they continue to adapt and survive? At what cost?.- 34. Horse chestnut bleeding canker a 21st Century tree pathogen.- 35. The use of small footprint airborne LiDAR for the estimation of individual tree parameters in Sitka spruce stands.