INTRODUCTION

1. During the sixteenth session of Silva Mediterranea it was recommended that the secretariat look into the feasibility of establishing a research network on the development of Mediterranean forest products and services, a theme to which the Mediterranean Forest Action Programme has dedicated a complete chapter (Section C). Amongst the limiting factors preventing sustainable Mediterranean forest management are the low economic returns from wood products and the unquantified value of non-wood forest products (NWFPs) and services. Research is believed to be the key to improvement of processing and use of various forest products.

2. Initially it was felt that research should focus on increasing the value of wood products. However, it was soon recognized that NWFPs should also be included since these can contribute to household food security and nutrition, help to generate additional employment and income, offer opportunities for processing enterprises, and contribute to foreign exchange earning. It then followed logically that other forest services and functions such as watershed protection, control of soil erosion, CO₂ sequestration and micro-climate regulation, should equally be taken into account.

3. This paper briefly describes the socio-economic importance of typical wood and non-wood products and services of the Mediterranean forests, and serves to encourage members of Silva Mediterranea to reflect whether a research network is deemed necessary and, if so, the appropriate structure.

4. Most Mediterranean countries have large deficits in the wood and timber industry. However, in the hinterlands, mountains and coastal areas, there are natural forests and plantations (cedar stands, pine forests, cork oak groves, pinewoods, fir plantations, eucalyptus stands, etc.) which are able to supply wood industries. Furthermore, several studies on the economic value of Mediterranean trees have shown that there are possibilities for industrial wood development, either in countries which harvest and process their own forest resources or in those which import wood for processing using available cheap labour and energy. For example, research carried out by the University of Florence (Italy) (Istituto di Assestamento e Tecnologia Forestale) in collaboration with INRA of Nancy (France) (Laboratoire de Qualité des Bois), focused on the technical characteristics and the economic uses of the following six tree species: Arbutus unedo, Erica arborea, Fraxinus ornus, Phyllirea latifolia, Rhamnus alaternus and Juniperus phoenicea. The study points out that the lack of information and knowledge of their supply, technological characteristics, qualities and possible uses has contributed to further reducing the already limited economic competitiveness of Mediterranean wood products on the international market. By describing in detail the possible utilisation of these products in artisanal activities, such as wood turning and cabinet making, the research proves that, in certain cases, these Mediterranean species may be qualified as ‘figured wood’ and rival, for their hardness and aesthetic qualities, certain imported tropical woods.

5. The principal constraints to the development of Mediterranean wood industries include:

6. Research in this field should therefore focus on overcoming the above problems through the development of appropriate harvesting, processing and marketing techniques.

7. While wood production remains an important activity and constitutes in many cases the principal source of revenue from Mediterranean forests, the socio-economic importance of NWFPs of this area has been increasingly recognised. NWFPs have in particular long played significant roles in the subsistence and culture of mountain communities, where the income generated from collecting fruits, nuts, resins, fibre, etc. has helped upland areas build a base of economic growth that capitalises on available forest resources and encourages their management for sustained productivity.

8. The principal NWFPs of the Mediterranean area may be classified into two main categories: vegetable products (including cork, resins, fruits and nuts, fodder, tannins, medicinal plants, aromatic plants, and mushrooms) and animal products (including sweet and sour honey, silvo-pastoralism and wild fauna) (see Annex 1 for a technical analysis of the principal Mediterranean NWFPs).

9. Production of Mediterranean cork supports substantial industrial activity. However, this activity is located in the west of the basin: Portugal provides 50 per cent of total production from the region, Spain 25 per cent, with the remaining quarter shared among the other producing countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, France and Italy). Resins (pine), fibres and tannins are also produced on an industrial level. An analysis of the economic possibilities offered by other Mediterranean NWFPs is provided in a paper by Baldini who compares the actual and potential production of silvo-pastoralism, wild fauna, herbal plants, mushrooms, sweet honey and sour honey in several Mediterranean countries (see, for example, the histograms developed for Tunisia and Spain in Annex 2). Results of this study show that the potential production is constantly greater than the real production, particularly in countries such as Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. It follows logically that the products with the highest productive potential should constitute the focus of further research. This should concentrate on producing hard facts, figures and published science-based information about the extraction, use, profitability and potential of NWFPs.

10. It is evident from the above considerations that there is a need for cooperation between research institutions of the Mediterranean to promote the forest products and services of this area. The advantage of having a cooperation programme implemented through a research network are multiple since it will:

11. The overview of activities of national and international research institutions was based on an analysis of publications on forestry research organisations and information obtained through the Internet. This provided a general picture of the research areas on which institutions focus (see Annex 3). It was seen that specialisation in wood products or non-wood products did not preclude institutions from also studying forest services such as control of soil erosion, regulation of water cycles and conservation of biological diversity. The reason for this lies in the fact that the production of forest products (whether wood or non-wood) is inextricably linked to the state of the forest ecosystem. Exceptions to this rule are those companies or institutes such as Association Forêt-Cellulose in Paris (France) and the Cork Experimental Station in Sassari (Italy) which only concentrate on one specific commercial product.

12. An analysis of already existing research networks such as EPOCH, MEDALUS and MEDUSA showed that some of their activities on, for example, economic and social development of rural areas and investigation of effects of desertification on land use in the Mediterranean area could overlap with areas of the proposed Mediterranean Forest Products Network. The same is true for specific activities carried out by several networks already established within Silva Mediterranea. For example, selected programme components of the Cedrus sp., Pinus pinea and Quercus suber networks could also fall within the "sphere of influence" of the NWFPs group, and the objectives of the "Forest Fire Management" network also coincide with the overall goal of combating forest degradation of both the wood and non-wood groups.

13. This study has listed national research institutions and existing research networks. It has also initiated a review and description of their activities as well as those of international organizations and development programmes related to Mediterranean forest products and services. This work constitutes the first elements of a programme of work for the network., if established. In this case, and in order to obtain more detailed information on the type of research carried out by national institutions and international organizations, the first task will be to have a fair knowledge of the institutional set-up relating to forest products. To that end, a questionnaire has been drawn up which individual research centres will be asked to complete. The questionnaire (see Annex 4) is divided into three main headings: wood products, non-wood products, and forest services. Each section is further sub-divided into lists of indicative products. When completing the questionnaire, institutions should classify the level of research carried out in each field as Low, Medium or High as shown in the Key. In order to facilitate this task, the following criteria for evaluation of research activities should be taken into account:

14. As illustrated in Fig.1 below, the research network on Mediterranean Forest Products and Services could be divided into two sub-networks or groups, respectively dealing with wood products and non-wood products, including environmental services. Indeed it is not deemed necessary to create a separate network on forest services since these usually constitute the objective of analysis of institutions in both the wood and NWFPs groups. So, for example, an institute which carries out research on NWFPs could also be involved in the planning of protected forest areas and eco-tourism, while an institute which focuses on production and processing of timber could also be responsible for studies on the soil and water regulating functions of forests (if given the means to do it).

15. The NWFPs group should concentrate on the following activities:

16. The wood products group, on the other hand, should converge research on the following aspects:

17. The distribution of activities in both networks should reflect the geographical location of the research institutions, i.e. it would make sense to split each sub-network into several country groups concerned by similar problems. For example, since in the Arabian peninsula it is impossible to envisage forest industries based on local forests, in those countries which posses adequate fuel and harbour facilities research should concentrate on ways to process rough timber and unfinished products imported from abroad. The study of products from the wild (grasses and shrubs), including medicinal products, could be considered in these countries. Similarly, those countries such as Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, France and Italy, which have forests yielding NWFPs, should focus on developing marketing techniques to promote the appropriate products.

18. National representatives should be appointed to act as focal points for the activities of the wood products and NWFPs groups. These national focal points should, in turn, meet on a regular basis (maybe once a year between sessions of Silva Mediterranea) as a network coordinating committee with the following functions:

	RESEARCH		FOREST PRODUCTS
COUNTRY	INSTITUTIONS		Wood Products		Non-Wood Products		Forest Services
ALBANIA	Forest and Pasture Research Institute, Tirana
	University of Agriculture of Tirana, Faculty of Forestry
ALGERIA	Institut National de la Recherche Forestière, Alger		x		x		x
	Institut National Agronomique, Alger		x				x
BULGARIA	Forest Research Institute, Sofia		x		x		x
	University of Forestry, Fac. of Forest Industry, Sofia
	Higher Inst. of Forestry and Wood Technology, Sofia		x
	AGROLESPROEKT		x		x
CROATIA	Forest Research Institute, Jastrebarsko						x
	University of Zaghreb, Faculty of Forestry		x		x		x
CYPRUS	Min. of Agri. and Nat. Res., Forestry Dep., Nicosia		x		x		x
EGYPT	Alexandria University, Forestry & Wood Tech. Dep.		x				x
	Soils and Water Research Institute, Giza						x
	Cairo University Herbarium				x
	University of Cairo, Faculty of Pharmacy				x
	Egyptian International Centre for Agriculture, Cairo				x
FRANCE	Association Foret-Cellulose, Paris		x
	Laboratoire de Mécanique et Génie Civil, Montpellier		x
	Dep. des Forêts des Pyrénées Orientales, Perpignan		x		x		x
	CIRAD-FORET, Programme VPF, Montpellier		x		x
	CEMAGREF						x
	INRA		x		x		x
	ENSTIB, Université de Nancy		x
	RESEARCH		FOREST PRODUCTS
COUNTRY	INSTITUTIONS		Wood Products		Non-Wood Products		Forest Services
	ORSTOM, Paris				x		x
	Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris						x
	Centre Technique du Bois et de l'Ameublement, Paris		x
	Institut pour le Développement Forestièr, Paris		x		x		x
	SIEMPA, Paris				x
	Université de Montpellier II, Laboratoire de Botanique				x
	ERMES, Orléans				x
	SILVA, Nogen-sur-Marne				x
	APROMA, Saint-Maur des Fosses				x
GREECE	Forest Research Institute of Thessaloniki		x		x		x
	Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania		x		x		x
	University of Thessaloniki
	Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry Service, Athens
IRAN	Research Institute of Forests & Rangelands, Tehran		x		x
	University of Tehran, College of Natural Resources		x		x		x
IRAQ	Min. of Agri.& Irrigation, Dep. of Forestry, Baghdad
ISRAEL	Development Study Centre, Rehovot						x
	The Institute for Applied Research, Beer-Sheeva				x		x
ITALY	Forest Department of the Veneto Region		x		x		x
	Institute for Applied Silviculture, Arezzo		x		x		x
	Institute for Wood Plants & Environment, Torino		x		x		x
	Cork Experimental Station, Sassari				x
	CSIL, Milan		x
	RESEARCH		FOREST PRODUCTS
COUNTRY	INSTITUTIONS		Wood Products		Non-Wood Products		Forest Services
	Experimetal Inst. for Forest Management & Alpiculture				x		x
	Experimental Inst. for Soil Protection, Florence						x
	S. Michele all'Adige Institute, Trento		x		x		x
	Institute for Poplar Research, Casale Monferrato		x				x
	Institute of Agricultural Chemistry & Forestry, Gallina						x
	ITALECO
	Italian Academy of Forest Sciences, Florence		x		x		x
	Institute for Genetics & Tree Improvement, Florence						x
	Institute for Wood Research, Florence		x
	Institute of Agro-silviculture, Porano
	National Institute for Mountain Economics, Rome				x		x
	Research Station for Agriculture & Forestry, Bolzano						x
	University of Bari, Institute of Chemistry				x		x
	University of Bologna, Dep. of Tree Cultivation		x
	University of Cassino, Dep. of Econ. & Land Use Pl.		x		x		x
	Univ. of Florence, Dep. for Agri. & Forest Economics		x		x		x
	Univ. of Florence, Faculty of Agriculture		x				x
	Univ. of Florence, Inst.of Agri. & Forest Pathology						x
	Univ.of Florence, Inst.of Forest Manag.& Forest Tech.		x		x		x
	Univ. of Padova, Dep.of Land Use Planning & Agrofor.		x		x		x
	Univ. of Parma, Inst. of Agri. & Forest Economics		x		x		x
	Univ. of Torino, Dep. of Silviculture		x				x
	Univ.of Tuscia, Dep. of Forest Env. & Forest Res.		x		x		x
	RESEARCH		FOREST PRODUCTS
COUNTRY	INSTITUTIONS		Wood Products		Non-Wood Products		Forest Services
	INDENA				x
	Germplasm Institute, Bari				x
	Azienda Freste Demaniali, Nuoro				x		x
JORDAN	University of Jordan, Faculty of Agriculture						x
	Min.of Agri., Dep. of Forests and Rangeland, Amman				x		x
KUWAIT
LEBANON	Min. of Agri. Dep. of Forestry & Nat. Res., Beirut		x		x		x
LIBYA	Committee for Agri. Reclamation & Land Dev., Tripoli
MACEDONIA	University Kiril i Mitodi, Faculty of Forestry, Skopje
MALTA	Ministry for Food, Agriculture & Fisheries, Valletta
MOROCCO	Div.de Rech. et d'Experimentation Forestières, Rabat		x				x
	Institut Agronomique er Vétérinaire Hassan II, Rabat				x
	Centre de Recherches Forestières, Marrakech				x
	UNECA/MULPOC/TANGIER, Tangier				x
	Institut Scientifique, Rabat				x
	Min.de l'Agri., Dir. des Eaux et Forêts, Rabat		x		x		x
OMAN
PORTUGAL	Celulose Beira Industrial (CELBI) S.A.		x
	National Forestry Research Station, Lisbon		x		x		x
	University of Tras-Os-Montes & Alto Douro, Vila Real		x
	Portucel E.P., Lisbon		x
	Centre for Wood Technology, Lisbon		x		x		x
	Technical Univ.of Lisbon, Forest Research Centre		x
	RESEARCH		FOREST PRODUCTS
COUNTRY	INSTITUTIONS		Wood Products		Non-Wood Products		Forest Services
	Portuguese Enerprise for Pulp & Paper, Lisbon		x
	School of Agriculture of Coimbra, Dep. of Forestry
ROMANIA	Univ. "Transilvania" of Brasov, Fac. of Silviculture				x		x
	Univ."Transilvania"of Brasov, Fac.of Woodworking Ind.		x
	Forest Research & Management Institute, Bucarest		x		x		x
	Forest Experimental Station Mihaesti
	Ministry of Water, Forests & Environment, Bucarest		x		x		x
SLOVENIA	LESNA, Slovenj Gradec
	Slovenia Forest Service, Ljubljana
	Univ. of Ljubljana, Dep. of Wood Science & Technology
	Univ. of Ljubljana, Dep. of Forestry
	Univ. of Ljubljana, Inst. for Forest & Wood Economy
SPAIN	Celulosas de Asturias, Armental		x
	National Institute for Conservation of Nature, Madrid				x		x
	National Institute of Agri.Research & Tech., Madrid
	University of Cordoba, Forestry Section
	School of Forestry Engineers, Madrid		x		x		x
	University of Tech. Forest Engineering, Madrid
	Iberian Fund for Nature Conservation, Madrid				x		x
	Centro de Edafologia y Biologia Aplicada, Murcia				x
	CREAF, Barcelona
	Centre for Forestry Investigaions, Lourizan						x
SUDAN	Forestry Research Centre, Khartoum
	RESEARCH		FOREST PRODUCTS
COUNTRY	INSTITUTIONS		Wood Products		Non-Wood Products		Forest Services
SYRIA	Min. of Agri. & Agrarian Reform, Damascus
	Arab Centre for the Studies of Arid zones and Dry Lands						x
TUNISIA	Uni. de Tunis, Faculté de Sciences				x		x
	Faculté de Pharmacie de Monastir				x
	Ministère de l'Environnement, Tunis				x		x
	Inst.Nat.de Sciences Appliqués et de la Tech., Tunis				x		x
	Institut National de Recherches Forestières, Ariana		x		x		x
	Ass.Tunisienne pour la Protection de la Nature, Tunis				x		x
	Institut des Regions Arides, Medenine						x
	Min. de l'Agriculture, Dep. des Forêts, Tunis
	Institut Sylvo-Pastoral, Tabarka		x		x		x
TURKEY	Poplar & Fast Growing Trees Research Institute, Izmir		x				x
	East Mediterranean Forestry Research Dir. , Tarsus		x		x		x
	Forest Research Institute, Izmir		x		x		x
	Forest Research Institute, Anakara		x		x		x
	Forest Soil Laboratory, Zonguldak						x
	Forest Soils Laboratory, Eslosejor						x
	Forestry Research Directorate of E.Anatolia, Erzurum		x				x
	Karadeniz Tech. University, Faculty of Forestry,Trabzon		x				x
	Marmara Forest Research Institute, Istanbul		x				x
	Mid-Anatolia Forest Research Institute,Anakara		x		x		x
	South West Anatolia Forest Research Dir.,Antalya		x		x		x
	Southeastern Anatolia Forestry Research Inst. ,Elazig						x
		RESEARCH		FOREST PRODUCTS
COUNTRY		INSTITUTIONS		Wood Products		Non-Wood Products		Forest Services
	Testing Laboratory of Forest Soil, Elazig						x
	The Western Black Sea Forestry Research Inst.,Bolu		x				x
	University of Istanbul, Faculty of Forestry, Istanbul		x		x		x
	Univ.of Istanbul, Fac.of Pharmaceutical Botany,Istanbul				x
	ALTES Ltd. , Istanbul				x
	Bogazici University, Dept. of Chem.Eng., Istanbul				x
	Foundation for Combatting Soil Erosion,Istanbul				x
	Medicinal & Aromatic Plant & Drug Research, Eskisehir				x
	Ege University, Field Crops Dept. Izmir				x
	Anadolu Univ. Pharmacognosy Dept., Eskisehir				x
	Aegean Agricultural Research Institute, Izmir				x
	Ankara University, Pharmacognosy Dept., Ankara				x
	Cukurova University,FieldCrops Dept., Adana				x
YEMEN