In recent decades, deforestation and forest degradation have emerged as major issues adversely affecting the flow of many ecosystem services that are vital to the existence of life on our planet. Apart from producing a wide array of products, forests play an invaluable role in combating climate change, regulating water flows, conserving biodiversity and providing various amenity values. The demand for these products and services changes in response to larger socio-economic changes. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), through its global and regional outlook studies, has been providing long-term perspectives on the pathways of change, including emerging scenarios, and on what needs to be done to have a more balanced relationship between society and forests. Pursuant to the recommendations of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission in 2019, FAO completed the Third Asia-Pacific Forest Sector Outlook Study, and the publication Forest Futures: Sustainable Pathways for Forests, Landscapes and People in the Asia-Pacific Region provided a comprehensive view of recent trends in forestry and possible scenarios of what could emerge by 2030 and beyond.