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| Criteria | ConvFM | SciFM |
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| Year of initiation | 2001 | 2014 |
| Management objective | Meeting subsistence needs for forest products especially timber and firewood | Commercial production of forest products, especially timber and firewood |
| Management principle | Precautionary, incremental harvesting in the prescribed block while in the forest | Sustained yield, following the silviculture system based on correct assessment of attributes of forest crops in prescribed coupes |
| Forest area | Not specified | At least 100 ha (preferably 200 ha) |
| Rotation period | Not defined | Guided by physical rotation, i.e., with the natural life of a species. For example, 80 years for Sal (Shorea robusta) |
| Management plan period | Not specified, generally for 5–10 years | Depends on the rotation period (dominant species of the forests), generally 80 years; a harvesting plan is prepared for 10 years |
| Harvesting area | Not specified, selection felling either in one block or in the entire forest area every year not exceeding annual increment of the forests | Relatively small area or felling coupes, determined by rotation age of species (felling area is 1/80th of the forest if the rotation is 80 years) |
| Silviculture system | Selection system | Irregular shelter wood system |
| Harvesting technique | Selective felling, based on annual increment, generally harvesting of the dead, dying, diseased, decayed, and deformed trees | According to exploitable diameter (above 30 cm dbh) living few seed trees (10–25 trees/ha) |
| Management plan preparation cost | Cheap (NRs 50,000–55,000 for 50 ha of forests) | Expensive (NRs 300,000–NRs 700,000 per community forest) |
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