Issues and prospects in global forest sector modeling

Increased globalization and the multiple uses and functions that world forests are expected to meet mean that policy makers are faced with increasingly complex decisions. To help in making these decisions global forest sector models need to incorporate more detailed information concerning countries, timber supply, techniques of production, and trade flows. This paper reviews differences in the concepts and information used by current global forest sector models. The potential for improving the predictive power, descriptive detail, and the usefulness of these models is then discussed in terms of the availability of reliable data, guiding economic theory, and practicality of implementation. As an example, potential enhancements to the Global Forest Products Model are discussed to show how greater realism and usefulness might be obtained.