Social Forestry into Urban forestry, Rural Forestry & Farm
Forestry
Social forestry means the management & protection of forests & afforestation on barren lands with the purpose of helping in the environmental, social & rural development. It is described as forestry of the people, by the people & for the people.
The National Commission on Agriculture (1976) has classified it into:
Urban forestry: it pertains to raising & management of trees on public & privately owned lands in & around urban centres (green belts, parks, roadside avenues)
Rural forestry lays emphasis on
• Agro‐forestry: combines forestry with agriculture on the same land inclusive of waste patches.
• Community forestry: involves rising of trees on public/community lands such as village pasture & temple land, roadside, canal bank.
Farm forestry: farmers grow trees for commercial & noncommercial purposes on their farm lands.
Advantages of Social Forestry
• Economic benefits: More resilience of crops,
Reduction in incidence of crop failure, Alternative & sustained source of income, Sale of forest produce will increase per capita income
• Social benefits: Reduce economic inequality in rural areas, Livelihood opportunity to landless, marginalized & women too, Participatory approach.
• Environmental benefits: Decrease pressure over traditional forests, Bring barren lands under forest, Check water & wind erosion, Rising water table in local area, Carbon sequestration –combat climate change
Reasons of failure
• Rich benefitted more (seen in Karnataka & Gujarat) than poor due to the neglect of village forestry.
• Local people were not effectively involved, villages are often heterogeneous & lack of cohesive spirit
• Market oriented tress like water intensive Poplar preferred, fuel wood & fodder trees were neglected.
• Shortage of funds.
• Faulty species selection, such as invasive eucalyptus.
• Less involvement of women or landless or tribals.
Vegetation in equatorial regions
The equatorial hot, wet climate is found between 5 & 10 degree north & south of the equator. There is great uniformity of temperature & heavy precipitation throughout the year. This conditions support a luxuriant type of vegetation‐ the equatorial rain forests.
Characteristic Features of Equatorial Vegetation
• A great variety of vegetation‐ hardwood evergreen trees, smaller palm trees, climbing plants like lianas & epiphytic & parasitic plants. Under the trees grow a wide variety of ferns, orchids & lalang (tall grass).
• All plants struggle upwards for sunlight resulting in a distinct
5 layered arrangements.
• Multiple Species‐ The trees of equatorial rainforest are not found in pure stands of a single species.
• Forest Clearings‐ When the clearings in these forests are abandoned, less luxuriant secondary forests, called ‘belukar’ in Malaysia, spring up.
• Some plants, known as epiphytes, grow on trees (their roots are not in the soil).
Factors which affect development of Tropical Region:
• Under conditions of high heat & humidity, Man is subject to serious physical & mental handicaps.
• Prevalence of bacteria & insect pests‐ the hot, wet climate encourages spread of insects & pests.
• Transport & communication networks are built &
maintained at a very high cost.
• Tropical soil‐ the torrential rains soon wash out most of the soil nutrients once vegetation is removed
• the region has great potential in timber resources but commercial extraction is difficult.
• Livestock farming is not developed due to absence of meadow grass.
The equatorial rainforests are lungs of the planet. Their sustainable development is the need of the hour.
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