Global forest resources assessment 2005 Progress towards sustainable forest management FAO Forestry paper Series, Vol. 147

FAO has been coordinating global forest resources assessments every five to ten years since 1946. The Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005 (FRA 2005) was carried out between 2003 and 2005 and involved more than 800 people, including 172 officially nominated national correspondents, their colleagues, an Advisory Group, international experts, FAO staff, consultants and volunteers from around the world. Information has been collated from 229 countries and territories for three points in time: 1990, 2000 and 2005. FRA 2005 is the most comprehensive assessment of forests and forestry to date - not only in terms of the number of countries and people involved, but also in terms of scope. It examines the current status and recent trends for about 40 variables covering the extent, condition, uses and values of forests and other wooded land, with the aim of assessing all benefits from forest resources. The results are presented according to six thematic elements of sustainable forest management. FAO worked closely with countries and specialists in the design and implementation of FRA 2005 - through regular contact, expert consultations, training for national correspondents and ten regional and subregional workshops. The outcome is better data, a more transparent reporting process and enhanced national capacity in data analysis and reporting.