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.