Expansion of global industrial forest plantations, i.e. intensively managed productive plantations is evident due to the prevailing demand and supply drivers. Forest plantations alone will not be sufficient for meeting the growing industrial roundwood demand. Natural and semi-natural forests in boreal and temperate zones will maintain their important role as the raw material source. The supply from these forests, however, is not likely to increase from the current level due to the constraints related to logistics, profitability and ownership structure. Moreover, sustainable management of tropical natural forests will not result in any increase of roundwood supply. Therefore, developing the global industrial forest plantations sustainably will be crucial to meeting increasing wood demand in the long term. Sustainable development of plantations is likely to face a number of economic, environmental and social challenges, and requires strong measures from the key stakeholders such as governments, strategic and financial investors.

This paper traces macro-level trends and changing approaches to plantation forestry, with particular emphasis on tropical and subtropical regions. Introducing the theoretical concept of a paradigm and drawing on the notions of discourse and epistemic community, it analyses the development of knowledge structures present in the history of plantation forestry. The historical context with an economic and developmental focus is provided to better understand the political economy of forest plantations in the South. A typology of plantation paradigms according to the selected criteria is put forth to illustrate both the discursive and technical changes plantation projects underwent in time. The paper concludes with a critical discussion on the parallels between the historical developments, change in economic thought and development aid and their influence on tree-planting activities as well as the strengths, weaknesses and challenges for both the plantation and general forestry epistemic community in the years to come.

The increasing demands now being placed on Africa's natural and planted forests mean that they cannot sustainably supply the wood products the continent needs. Serious shortages of wood are forecast in many countries for the near future and this has serious socio-economic implications as well as contributing negatively to global climate change. Whilst tree plantations have long been seen as a way to combat such impacts by producing wood products in a cost-effective way, the current level of tree planting in Africa is well below the level required to meet the predicted demand from the populace and industry.

Of the estimated 3.8 million hectares of commercial plantations in Africa, the most successful ventures have generally been where the private sector has been encouraged and supported to invest in commercial-scale tree planting and these point the way to the future expansion of plantations in Africa.

Plantation development in Australia has had a history of starts and stops. In the four major softwood plantation regions, forecasts of future availability provide very little scope for expansion of softwood sawmilling. In the three major hardwood plantation regions, considerable scope exists to increase exports of woodchips or expand pulp processing. Plantation development is presently in the doldrums, pending rationalization of hardwood estates by companies that bought the recently demised Managed Investment Schemes. Following this rationalization, industrial softwood growers will need to purchase or acquire access to additional land to meet processors' desires to upscale and remain internationally competitive. Large-scale purchase is generally not economically or politically viable. However, farm forestry has public good benefits through structural adjustment, carbon and, in some localities, salinity mitigation. Government assistance to foster farm forestry could break this nexus.

This paper examines the contribution of industrial tree plantations to the welfare of rural households in villages located in Iswepe and Piet Retief communities of Mkhondo local municipality, South Africa. Systemic random sampling was used to administer questionnaire survey on 120 households. Findings shows that household in these communities enjoy direct benefits such as employment opportunities, and indirect benefits such as provision of housing linked to the social responsibility spending of tree plantation companies operating in the locality. However, households in the study area expressed concern with issues such as lack of access to electricity, poor health and sanitation services. There is therefore a need to address issues of concern raised by households in this study in order to improve the overall contribution of tree plantations to rural households' welfare in South Africa.

Forestry activities are not implemented in a vacuum, but highly interlinked with other domains: social, cultural, institutional, economic, and political. Good governance that builds on effective local institutions and social capital enhancement becomes one of the key issues in studying and implementing forestry projects locally. The paper presents empirical evidence from a social forestry project implemented in the poorest departments of Eastern Paraguay. It provides a descriptive comparison of two neighbouring communities characterized by different institutions. There is a large difference in project performance in both areas in socio-economic terms. One community displayed high levels of social capital and was better prepared to take advantage of extension aid and “store” the acquired know-how. The other community, with low levels of social capital, benefited from the project activities only temporarily. The role of local institutions as project channels and the development of social capital are indicated as key factors for plantation projects to work effectively.

A simple method is applied to provide a preliminary assessment of climate change impacts on the species planting domains for Tectona grandis (teak), Swietenia macrophylla (mahogany) and Pinus caribaea (Caribbean pine) in Fiji and T. grandis in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. Climate values in a 10 minute grid (approximately 18 km spacing) are used to identify locations with climatically suitable conditions for the species. The impacts of climate change on plantations of all three target species in Fiji are considered to be low in 2030 and 2050. However, impacts may become medium for S. macrophylla and P. caribaea in 2080 using an A2 ‘business as usual’ scenario, as some areas begin to fall outside climatically suitable limits for these species. The likely impacts of climate change on T. grandis sites in PNG and Solomon Islands are also assessed as low, as the main plantation areas remain largely in climatically suitable areas until at least 2050 under the A2 scenario. The implications for vulnerability of these plantations are discussed, along with strengths and weaknesses of the method, and possible further analyses.

The objectives of this study were to provide information on the history of forest plantations and the institutions responsible for plantation works in Turkey, and to make recommendations for the solution of problems relating to plantations.

Plantation activities can be divided into three periods in Turkey according to the legislation, starting in 1937. Under the Forest Law 3116 plantation activities were implemented systematically by the General Directorate of Forestry between 1937 and 1956. In the second period (1956–1986), plantation activities increased as industrial plantations were initiated. The third period, covering 1986 to the present-day, saw, in addition to afforestation, plantation establishment for non-timber purposes such as erosion control, range improvement and energy.

There are many political problems as well as institutional ones that have influenced plantation activities in Turkey and these have on occasion led to a reduction in forestry activities during certain periods. Although the Development Plans and the report of the Turkish National Forestry Program and the Forestry Special Expertise Commission include many objectives and policies regarding forest plantations the majority of these have not been fulfilled.

Planted forests have increased globally in area in recent decades and are used for productive purposes such as wood production and ecosystem services such as soil conservation and biodiversity. Historically, these purposes have been largely regarded as mutually exclusive, reflecting market failure in the ability of investors to capture the benefits from ecosystem services. Trade liberalisation and global trade has also inhibited new plantation investment for wood in high land cost countries such as Australia. It is argued that market based mechanisms for ecosystem services may help overcome investment hurdles for private wood plantations, while delivering multiple benefits. An Australian case study is used to describe these trends and opportunities, including shifts away from direct wood plantation promotion to emerging policies for carbon, water and biodiversity. It is important that policy settings are designed to promote the potential net benefits from joint production and avoid any unintended negative environmental consequences.

The industrial use of hybrid eucalypt clones has been hugely successful in Brazil and a limited number of other countries but there are many circumstances where it is less risky and more economically sustainable to plant seedlings. This is particularly true for difficult-to-root pure species and for organizations which do not have the financial and technical resources to manage a sustainable clonal program. Type of planting stock does not add value per se; it is the ultimate return from the harvested crop which matters to growers. Case-by-case analysis of deployment options is recommended, taking into account the growers' objectives; species biology; technical capabilities and budget for R&D; and the scale of nursery production which greatly affects plant unit costs.

To assist such decisions pros and cons of clonal forestry are presented together with the technical requirements for clonal and seed production programs and for the middle course of vegetative multiplying tested superior families. Some case study examples are discussed.

Acacia and eucalypt plantations, managed over rotation cycles of 5–8 years, are important resources for wood production in Southeast Asia. This paper reviews the processes that determine the productivity of successive crops under tropical environments and how the local management impacts on them. Experimental results show that if plantations are managed according to recognised scientific principles, productivity can be sustained and improved and the properties of the soil can be conserved. Field visits and review have identified key risks, the critical constraints on production and the challenges for improving system management. Sustaining production will be strongly dependent on developing an integrated approach to management, bringing together the best outcomes from genetic improvement, coordinated efforts on resource protection and site and soil management which conserves and enhances the productive capacity of soils. This requires both new investments in and redirection of research and development, and stronger partnerships amongst all stakeholders committed to sustainability.

Productivity of commercial acacia and eucalypts plantations in Southeast Asia was analysed using company inventory data to assess growth rates and their variation and trends. Growth rates of Acacia mangium in Sumatra, Indonesia ranged between 22 and 35 m³/ha/yr before impacted by fungal disease, which reduced growth to 15 m³/ha/yr or lower. The first rotation of Eucalyptus pellita, which replaced A. mangium in Sumatra, produced 16–18 m³/ha/yr. In south Vietnam, growth of acacia hybrid in the second rotation averaged 23 m³/ha/yr and generally exceeded that of acacia plantations in the first rotation. Growth of acacia hybrid in north Vietnam was slower, at 18 m³/ha/yr. Eucalypts in China grew at between 15 to 28 m³ ha/yr. Growth rates were highly variable spatially within estates managed by individual companies for both eucalypts and acacias. Understanding this variation spatially and in time is critical for developing holistic management and better targeting of research efforts.