This report is based on a conference organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and others, to discuss how timber production from forests can be better harnessed for poverty reduction, particularly the role of small-scale commercial forestry in opening opportunities for the poor to benefit from forest harvesting and wood processing. The conference centred around five sessions: policies and legislation; economic issues; institutional issues; and technical aspects of small-scale timber production. This report will be of interest to policy makers, the private sector, practitioners and communities.