The Short Rotation Forestry Handbook deals with how to grow short rotation forests and the economics of the systems. The 1995 version is an updated edition of the 1992 version. If one should point out one single field of fast development over the last three years, it would be the harvesting systems. That development has also influenced the economy of short rotation forestry in a positive direction. In consequence the chapters 5 and 8 expose the most significant changes in comparison with the previous version, However it is mainly the contributions from Sweden, UK and USA, that reflect the changes. The 1992 handbook represented a joint effort of people working with intensively grown woody crops in the following countries: Austria, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Sweden, UK and USA. These countries were members of the International Energy Agency Bioenergy Agreement, Activity 1: Energy Forestry Production Systems. Also, EC as a whole is represented through the UK member of the Activity. In 1995 all those countries, except Italy were members of the new Activity SRF Production Systems. Finland and the Netherlands were additional members.

Short Rotation Forestry "refers specifically to the unique practice of growing trees in evenly spaced rows on cultivated land much like an agricultural crop" (Cristopherson et al 1989).

The application has been produced by members of the Wood Supply Research Group in the Department of Forestry, University of Aberdeen, Scotland UK.