ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides an overview of the transition of wood production and is conducted by way of an environmental history that captures the substantive phases and qualities of these changes. It focuses on the broad sweep of human use of wood and forests and the changing interconnections between the two. The book looks at this shift through a global analysis and then three national case studies: Australia, Indonesia and New Zealand. The national case studies tackle the phenomenon from three different approaches to understanding complex networked systems, such as wood and forest social-ecological systems. The chapter also focuses on the wood and forest social-ecological system and particularly current issues of land sharing/sparing, potential plantation conservation benefits and challenges for the evolution of the institutions of stewardship forestry.
