This book presents edited and revised versions of more than 30 papers selected from those presented at a major conference on History and Forest Resources, held in Florence in 1998. The conference was organised by the Italian Academy of Forestry Science and working group on Forest History of the International Union of Forestry Research Organisations (IUFRO). As a whole the papers present detailed analyses of the interrelationships between forest ecosystems and socioeconomic development from thirteen different countries of the world. Main economic and social factors, techniques and local practices, as well as legal and political aspects related to forest changes are discussed, according to the latest achievements in forest history research. The book is a companion volume to Methods and Approaches in Forest History.