Resumo. The Brazilian production of industrial timber depends mainly on forest plantations; only in the sawmill sector, there is still the use of a considerable amount of logs originating from natural forests. Recently forest concessions were created; this was an important step toward the management of native forests in the North. In the very South of Brazil, native forests exist mainly in stages of regeneration, belonging to small-scale farmers with restricted opportunities for management. The present article argues the importance of native forest management even when they belong to small landowners. An example from Austria is given where small ownership is dominating native forests. There is a framework of traditional use, an adequate legislation and the effort of extension service, able to ally immaterial social benefits and economic interest of forest owners. The management of generally small forest units is aiming a so-called periodic sustainability; decisions of silvicultural treatments are based on local conditions, where to an individual tree is given more attention than to the stand; the objective of management is mainly timber of high value; a summarized description of practical procedure is given.