Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA)

The Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) reports on the status and trends of the world's forest resources. It is led by the Forestry Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
The FRA reports the extent of the world’s forest area as well as other variables, including land tenure and access rights, sustainable forest management (SFM), legal and institutional frameworks for forest conservation, and sustainable use.
Background.
History.
FAO’s mandate to assess the world’s forest resources stems from its constitution:
The first FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment was published in 1948 with the main focus on assessing the availability of timber. Since then, FAO has been monitoring the world's forests at five- to ten-year intervals, and has produced various other regional and global surveys.
Data collection and partners.
The assessment is based on two primary sources of data: country reports prepared by national correspondents and remote sensing that is combined with national focal points and international partners, such as the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC).
Definition of a forest.
The FAO definition of a forest is:
The definition excludes tree stands in agricultural production systems, such as fruit tree plantations, oil palm plantations, olive orchards, and agroforestry systems when crops are grown under tree cover.
Global Forest Resources Assessment 2015.
The most recent assessment, FRA 2015, builds on data from years 1990–2015 covering 234 countries and territories and shows a tendency towards reduction in the rates of forest net loss and carbon emissions from forests. However, globally, the extent of the world's forest continues to decline. Key findings include:
The next comprehensive FRA report is due in 2020.
FRA and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
FAO was the United Nations agency responsible for reporting the proportion of land area covered by forest to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs were replaced by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2016. Information provided by FRA will directly contribute to measuring progress on the SDGs on forest-related indicators under Goal 15: Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss (Resolution A/RES/70/1 25 September 2015).