In the face of rapid economic, social and environmental change, forest managers and users must be adaptable and innovative. Climate change is exacerbating stressors such as wildfire and pests, and the tension between the impacts of these on the one hand and the likely future increase in wood demand on the other implies a need to rethink forest and land management and silviculture. The shift towards a zero-carbon bioeconomy in which wood will be a major input will require downstream innovations to diversify products and uses and increase efficiencies. The opportunities offered by renewed attention to the vast range of NWFPs in the context of a bioeconomy will give rise to innovations aimed at creating and improving value chains and providing livelihood opportunities for potentially billions of smallholders. Given the diverse and increasing demands, new ways will be needed for managing trade-offs between wood, NWFPs and ecosystem services and maximizing synergies among development, biodiversity and climate benefits.
Efficient and pragmatic solutions are needed urgently at scale to drive the greater uptake of innovations. The next chapter shows that science and innovation are already leading to fast-moving changes in forestry – ranging from innovations in forest data collection, to advances in wood technologies, to new means for organizing smallholders and scaling up their economic power. Chapter 4 presents case studies on the introduction of innovations in a wide range of contexts, and Chapter 5 sets out five enabling actions, and associated specific actions, for tapping the power of innovation for forest conservation, restoration and sustainable use. It is increasingly clear that innovation, and its effective deployment, will be crucial for ensuring the future of forestry in a changing world.
