Chapter 7 Forestry: Reforestation, Natural Forest Management

More documents

Recommendations

Info

experience, few African countries can claim that they have a selfsustainingdevelopment program in place for the forestry sector. Asdiscussed earlier, short-sighted national policies continue to inhibit thespread of sustainable development approaches.Small-scale forestry development activities may overcome theseconstraints locally because they have the resources or the latitude tooperate under special, project-specific conditions. However, if the nationas a whole is to develop a system favorable to sustainable forestmanagement, small-scale activities need to influence overall rural sectorpolicy and programming. Lessons learned in the field must informnational discussions of issues such as governmental capabilities; staffingand budgets for forestry; strategies for participatory development; themarketplace for timber and non-wood forest products; and the vital roleof forest cover in watershed stability, biodiversity conservation and wiseland use.Beyond ForestryForestry, Watershed Management and Other Environmental Services.USAID natural resource management programs in Africa are beginning totake water resource issues more seriously. This trend needs to be activelyencouraged. Considerable attention is currently being focused on the fullrange of environmental services provided by forests in order to incorporatetheir value into program planning. Maintaining forest cover preservesforests’ critical watershed function, which is of growing importance inAfrica as demand for hydropower, potable water and irrigation increases.Such benefits constitute a powerful new rationale for investment in forestryprojects (e.g., Landell-Mills and Porras 2002; Nasi, Wunder and Campos,2002; Smith and Scherr 2002 and World Bank 2002).Forestry and Integrated Land Use Management: Improving the Land-Use Mosaic. Most small-scale reforestation or tree planting is used torehabilitate degraded areas and/or meet basic community needs for fuel,food, wood and fodder. If done correctly, tree planting can also supportenvironmental stability by containing erosion and by contributing to amosaic of sustainable land use.Nevertheless, in the case of degraded areas, the primary causes of thedamage must be addressed first; simply reforesting the degraded area willnot resolve the problems. In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, reforestationsolutions are often applied to land that has been overgrazed and eroded.Reforestation will not address the reasons for the excessive grazing, whichmay simply shift to other areas where the cycle of degradation will beginagain.The next three sections take an in-depth look at three forestry strategies—reforestation, natural forest management and agroforestry. These sectionsdescribe possible impacts, propose mitigation solutions and offer designguidance for each strategy.EGSSAA: FORESTRY • March 2009 • download from www.encapafrica.org10 of 30
ReforestationBrief Description of SectorSmall-scale community reforestation programs aimed at providing farmersand smallholders with appropriate ways to use their marginal land are oftena sustainable development option. Typically, such programs introduce fastgrowingtree species—often exotics such as neem, pine or eucalyptus—toReforestation programs introduce fast-growing tree species—oftenexotics such as neem or eucalyptus—to meet the community’s basicneed for fuelwood, building materials and fodder. Photo: IFAD.meet the community’s basic need for fuelwood, building materials andfodder. These programs generally involve establishing temporary local orfarmstead nurseries and providing minimal technical advice for interestedfarmers.Reforestation projects can often take advantage of the lower opportunitycosts of off-season labor and marginal lands. The most serious challengesfor small-scale reforestation programs are (1) finding appropriatesite/species matches, (2) ensuring that farmers perform requiredmaintenance, and (3) protecting the saplings from grazing animals and fire.There are also plantation forestry solutions for larger projects that aresometimes attempted simultaneously in multiple small-scale settings,including seed banks, tree seed orchards, centrally operated nurseries andreforestation incentives. One popular technique involves restocking cut-overor secondary forests with enrichment plantings. Strips or gaps in existinggrowth are cut and replanted with nursery-raised seedlings, normally ofhigh-value native species. However, if the seedlings belong to a slowgrowingtree species, their potential value can be overwhelmed by the yearsof labor and production inputs necessary to keep them free of pests andotherwise ensure their survival. Experience has shown that this type ofplantation is economically difficult to justify.To succeed, reforestationprograms must have aclear understanding of themarket demand and longtermpotential for forestproducts. Programs thatoffer incentives for reforestationneed especiallycareful planning andmanagement to avoideconomic distortions andmisuse.EGSSAA: FORESTRY • March 2009 • download from www.encapafrica.org11 of 30
Page 1 and 2: Version: March 2009Learn more about
Page 3 and 4: Sustainable Development was specifi
Page 5 and 6: • Governmental policies geared to
Page 7 and 8: Maps can show wheresustainable harv
Page 9: • Balancing reforestation with na
Page 13 and 14: schemes are rare. Reforestation pro
Page 15 and 16: Environmental Mitigation and Monito
Page 17 and 18: Natural Forest ManagementBrief Desc
Page 19 and 20: emaining trees and plant communitie
Page 21 and 22: • Minimizing impacts on the ecolo
Page 24 and 25: AgroforestryAgroforestry Products a
Page 26 and 27: Table 1: Types of Agroforestry Syst
Page 28 and 29: The following points should be kept
Page 30: • Holmes, T.P. et al. (1999). Fin

Chapter 7 Forestry: Reforestation, Natural Forest Management

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?