The community forest network: A tool for strengthening community capacity

Abstract

Small, independent loggers tend to be characterized by low levels of organization, their inherent disadvantages when dealing with middlemen and the timber industry, and their lack of resources for improving their condition as timber suppliers. These factors led to the creation of the Community Forest Network (CFN), the first association of lumber producers in Ecuador made up of communities who own forests and who are interested in managing forest resources in a sustainable fashion.