multipurpose tree species research for small farms: strategies ... - part

Forest policy formulated in India u:, early as
1894 stressed the need for forest conservation for
environmental protection. The first National
Forest Policy of Free India, dri.fted in 1;%2,
reaffirmed this concept and suggested
cemplementary land uses and reforestation of land
other than that under the control of the Forest
Service. The latest policy, revised in 1988, again
urged stewardship of eroded slopes and degraded
lands for soil and water conservation, and to
improve productivity and meet local needs for fuel
and fodder. Tree felling on sensitive slopes has
since been banned, and large-scale community
plantations have been established on degraded
land to meet local needs for fuel, fodder, fibers and
small timber. These policies indicate the presence
of political will and a concern for reforestation of
degraded land, but this can not be achieved unless
considerable sums of money are appropriated.
The present Indian population of 810 million
may exceed ene billion by the close of this century.
The availability of fuelwood, the main sourie of
energy for the rural masses, is 40 millior~m /yr
compared to a demand of 240 million m /yr. Per
capita forest area in India is 0.1 lha compared to
the world average of 1.04ha. Merchantabl: gross
annual incremenj varies between 0.5-0.9m /ha as
opposed to 2.5m /ha for the world. This shortfall
requires efforts on the scale of an all-out war to
escalate wood production as fast as possible.
Fuel and fodder are scarce commodities,
vegetative resources are overexploited, and the
person days of labor expended in their collection is
staggering. Verma (1-9) estimated that on
average, 0.5 to 1.0 person days per family per week
is spent collecting fuclwood and fodder, and
suggests that 3.4 million people are involved in this
who could more profitably be diverted to more
useful activities. Degraded habitats are a potential
area for reforestation and can improve the outlook
for the future with the people's involvement and
careful planning.
Degraded lands are either inherently
unproductive or have been made so due to faulty
Proiuction Potential offDegraded
Lands with Multipurpose Tree Species
D.N. Puri
Central Soil & Water Cxservation Research
and Training Institute
Dehra Dun, India
184
soil management practices. Waste lands wiih
tree production potential suffer from
constraints which need to be addressed for
economic tree growth. An often overlooked
area for profitably cultivating trees is the fringe
areas of fertile land along roads, canals, and
around buildings.
Identification of Constraints
Four major categories of constraints can be
broadly characterized as physical,
environmental, biological and socioeconomic.
Physical constraints include conditions such
as rocky outcrops; the presence of boulders and
gravel in the soil; a high degree of slope; salinity,
alkalinity and waterlogging; landslides, exposed
sites; and poor nutrient and moisture conditions.
Biological constraints include interactions of
humans and animals with the resources; pests
and diseases; and ecological imbalances.
Environmental constraints are imposed by
the interaction of rainfall and temperature;
erosivity of rain and wind; moisture and nutrient
balance; and overexposure to radiant energy.
Sociocconomic crstraints include the
attitudes and reaction of the people collectively
as a community, or as a family unit, playing a
pivotal role in the effective development of a
people's program. The success or failure of a
program depends on the value attributed to the
person days of labor spent in fuel and fodder
collection. Ready cash in hand for forest
enrichment planting, marketability of the
output, and the sharing of benefits promote
interest and identification with the project.
Management Practices
To-improve the productivity of degraded
lands, the above constraints need careful
consideration. Economic viability is the key for
successful implementation of rehabilitation