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Commonwealth Forestry News     {short description of image}

No. 3

December 1998

ISSN 1463-3868

Contents

Planting a CFA Commemorative Oak

Chairman's column
...The CFA and Sustainable Management

Association News
...Executive Committee
...In Memoriam:
...CFA Branches

Around The World
...Commonwealth Forestry Conference
...CDC - Investing in Forestry
...International forestry meetings in 1999
...Our Forests ...Our Future from WCFSD
...World Forests, Society and Environment

Special features
...How will you cope in a man's world?
...Deforestation in Zambia

News of members and friends

Research
...ICRIS
...About TERI

Education
...National School of Forestry, UK

Correspondence
... Why do forestry projects fail?
...Low forest cover

Forest Scenes
...Urban forests of Milton Keynes
...Australian trees and climate change

CFA Initiatives
...Commonwealth Forestry Review
...CFNews

CFA Membership

The international newsletter of the
Commonwealth Forestry Association

"To promote the well-being of the world's forest and those who depend on them."

CFA. Administrative Office: Oxford Forestry Institute, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RB, UK. Telephone:[+44]1865 271037 Facsimile: [+44]1865 275074. E. mail: cfa_oxford@hotmail.com
Editor CFNews:
Philip Wardle, 3 Charles Hill, Elstead, GU8 6LE, Surrey, U.K.
Telephone, Facsimile:-[+44]01252702204.
E-mail: 101656.1772@compuserve.com

High Commissioner for Ghana plants CFA Commemorative Oak

The planting of a commemorative English Oak jointly by HE the High Commissioner for Ghana, Mr J.E Aggrey-Orleans, and the Mayor of Milton Keynes, Mr Grant Gillingham.

The Association's autumn meeting on 28 September was a wonderful visit to the new city of Milton Keynes to see the developments in tree planting and forest conservation that have been achieved there over the past two and a half decades. One of the highlights of the visit was the planting of a commemorative English Oak jointly by HE the High Commissioner for Ghana, Mr J.E Aggrey-Orleans, and the Mayor of Milton Keynes, Mr Grant Gillingham, both of whom it was a privilege to have with us.

HE Mr. James E.K. [Jimmy] Aggrey-Orleans High Commissioner for Ghana was appointed to that position in September 1997. Over the previous decade, as Assistant Director - Economic Information and Market Intelligence at the International Tropical Timber Organisation, Jimmy Aggrey-Orleans participated in many post-UNCED forestry initiatives and was active in the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests. Moreover, he has always been a strong supporter of CFA and its international role.

Following the tree planting the Mayor, Grant Gillingham and Brian Salter, Chief Executive of the Parks Trust, gave an introduction to the history of the City of Milton Keynes and the place of trees and woodlands in the environment and sustainable development of this urban community. Jimmy Aggrey-Orleans mentioned the particular connection with Ghana through the strong contribution of Ghanaian members of the cosmopolitan community of the city. The CFA visitors were then taken on a tour of the parks and woodlands illustrating their diverse roles in providing an environment for air and exercise, recreation and landscape, biological diversity, shelter, screening and the control of water for the urban community (see "Urban forests of Milton Keynes" below). For this interesting tour we warmly thank the Chief Executive, Brian Salter and his team, Rai Darke and Bob Rickie for their kindness, enthusiasm and for devoting their Saturday to us all.

from PETER WOOD Vice-President



Chairman's column

The CFA and Sustainable Management of Commonwealth and World Forests

The Chairman and Vice-Chairman of CFA visited the Commonwealth Foundation to describe the role and activities of the Association in international forestry and followed up with this note about the contribution to sustainable forestry.

Forests have emerged as a priority on the national and international policy and political agendas. During the Earth Summit in Rio, June 1992, the forest-related negotiations were polarised between the North and the South. However, many initiatives since Rio (e.g., Indo-UK Initiative, Malaysia-Canada Initiative, Intergovernmental Panel on Forests, Intergovernmental Forum on Forests) have helped build international consensus on many forest-related issues. The Commonwealth countries as well as experts from these countries have played an important role in building North-South bridges.

This note outlines the role and potential opportunities for the CFA in advancing sustainable management of the Commonwealth as well as the world's forests.

CONTEXT

GLOBAL

1. Conservation management and sustainable development of forests is a priority on the policy and political agendas of the Commonwealth (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting -CHOGM) and other international policy and political agendas (UN, G-8, European Forest Ministers Conferences).

2. Forests provide, simultaneously, a wide range of economic, social, environmental and cultural benefits. While forests are an important source of economic development in countries richly endowed with forests (e.g. Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Cameroon, Ghana, Guyana, Canada, New Zealand), they also provide subsistence to hundreds of millions of people who live in and around forests in developing countries with scarce forest cover (e.g. India, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Swaziland).

3. It is widely recognised that approaches to sustainable forestry must take into consideration the areas of priority concern (e.g. subsistence in forest scarce, and economic development in forest rich countries), social, economic and environmental conditions, as well as the level of technical capacity and institutional development in individual countries.

4. National policy and approaches to sustainable forestry can no longer be formulated in isolation from international forest policy deliberations for at least three reasons:

(a) Many environmental values and benefits extend beyond the boundaries where forests are located , forest-related activities in one country could have positive or negative impacts in neighbouring countries and beyond;
(b) As international trade in forest products increasingly demands "green products" from "green forests"; so in order to facilitate international trade there is a need for common understanding on what constitutes sustainable forestry.
(c) The emergence of forests on the international policy and political agenda.

5. Multiple benefits from forests have resulted in the involvement of over forty UN and other international organisations in various aspects of forests. Furthermore, forests are included in over twenty international legally binding conventions and non-binding multilateral agreements.

6. International assistance in forests amounts to about US $1.3 billion per annum and involves Commonwealth countries, both as major donors and recipients.

COMMONWEALTH

7. The Commonwealth Family includes a rich experience in sustainable forestry based on a wide range of socio-economic, environmental, cultural and institutional conditions. Accordingly, there are opportunities to share experiences, knowledge and technologies between the developed and developing countries as well as among "forest rich" and "forest scarce" countries in the Commonwealth.

8. Collectively, the Commonwealth countries represent a microcosm of the "global forests problematique".

9. Unlike intergovernmental negotiations in the UN (where there is frequent polarisation between the North and the South), the "chemistry" in the Commonwealth Family permits exploration of creative solutions to common problems. Following highly polarised and politically sensitive North-South negotiations on forests at the Earth Summit in Rio, the Commonwealth countries have played a critical role in building North-South bridges (e.g. Indo-UK initiative, Malaysia-Canada Initiative).

10. Experts from the Commonwealth countries lead many international organisations and events, including, for example, the Director-General, International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), Director General, Centre for International Forest Research (CIFOR), Secretariat, World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development, Secretariat, UN, Intergovernmental Panel and Forum on Forests (IPF/IFF), Co-chairmen, IPF (1995-1997), Director, Iwokrama Project, senior officials concerned with forests in the World Bank, UNEP, FAO, WTO, ECE, Secretariats, Conventions on Biodiversity and on Climate Change, Director General, ASEAN Forest Management Institute, the President of IUFRO. Collectively, the Commonwealth nationals provide a very powerful network on forests.

COMMONWEALTH FORESTRY ASSOCIATION (CFA)

ACTIVITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES

The Mission of CFA is to promote sustainable management and development of forests for the benefit of people who depend on them. It is the oldest and the only voluntary international organisation of professional foresters in the world. CFA has been adapting to the rapidly evolving context described above, and has been responding to new challenges, particularly during the past decade.

CFA activities have an impact on sustainable forestry at the national, Commonwealth and global levels. CFA works in synergy with national professional forest associations and provides an international window or perspective on forest-related issues.

The strength of CFA lies in:

from JAG MAINI Chairman and JULIAN EVANS Vice-Chairman


Association News

The Executive Committee

The administration, direction and management of the association is vested in the Governing Council. For practical purposes the Council appoints an Executive Committee to which it delegates these responsibilities. The Executive Committee meets several times a year. In 1998 it met in February at the Nehru centre in London, in May in conjunction with the AGM at Westonbirt and in October at the Canadian High Commission in London. At this most recent meeting it was decided that a short note on the proceedings should be included in the CFNews.

The October Session - At this session Jag Maini was in the chair. The main points of interest were the following:-

There was some discussion of the Executive Committee itself: Peter Latham was invited to join to strengthen contact with industry; a concern to bring in young participants - a student and an academic member - and a concern to ensure active involvement of members from countries across the Commonwealth, were to be acted on. The committee decided to proceed with a revision of the Association's strategic planning with a particular view to strengthening further its activities as an international forestry organisation. We hope that the strategic planner will take up post in the new year.

National Branches - The Committee noted the establishment of CFA branches in South Africa and Zambia. The latter has invited the Chairman to be represented at its formal inauguration. A particular effort has been made to improve delivery of the journal to the 176 members in India. Particular effort will be put in to contact members whose subscriptions have lapsed and to seek new members.

Awards - The Queen's Award will be made in both the year 2000 and in 2001. Regional Awards have been made to John Oldham Australia and Don Wije-wardana New Zealand and it was hoped that proposals for these awards will be made from other regions.

The Review - For Volume 78 the review title will be modified to "International Forestry Review - Incorporating the Commonwealth Forestry Review".

The next meeting of the Executive Committee is scheduled for 1 March 1999.

In Memoriam

We regret to announce the deaths of Graeme Augustine Dolan, New Zealand; C.E. Hewetson and Dr Colin William Holloway, UK and Lindsay Pryor, Australia.

AGM 1999

At the invitation of the President, His Grace the Duke of Buccleugh and Queensberry, the Association will hold its Annual General Meeting at Boughton House in Northamptonshire on Friday May 28th preceded by an excursion to local woodlands of interest on Thursday 27th, with a dinner in the locality.

South African branch of CFA launched

The South African branch of the CFA was officially launched by Prof Rudi Bigalke at the South African Institute of Forestry (SAIF) 30th anniversary dinner. Bob Newman, CFA Vice-President from Australia was along. It was noted that CFA is closely associated with the regular Commonwealth Forestry Conference. It was the 1936 Conference, held in South Africa, which initiated the forest hydrological research at Jonkershoek near Stellenbosch. South Africa came back into the Commonwealth Forestry fold at the 1997 Conference held in Zimbabwe. Some South Africans have been members of CFA for many years, now with 21 members there are sufficient to form a local branch. Joh Scriba, Dean of the Faculty of Forestry at Saasveld, has been appointed to the CFA Governing Council. Mike Edwards, executive director of Forest Owners Association was elected chairman of the local CFA Branch. The SAIF and secretary Corine Viljoen have offered their services to CFA and to help promote membership.

from D.W. (DIEK) van der ZEL, South Africa

Regional award for excellence

The award to John Oldham was made on 2nd October by his excellency the Governor of Western Australia, Major General Michael Jeffrey, on the occasion of the Annual Dinner of the Forest Industries Association (WA) Inc. The press release and citation note John Oldham's very significant contribution to the forestry and forest products industry in Western Australia where he was the major facilitator in bringing Eucalyptus globulus from Tasmania, contributing to the establishment of some 100 000 ha in the region over the past 10 years with encouragement of Bunnings and CALM. He has been Chief executive of WA chip and Pulp Co. and Director of Bunnings Forest Products and of Bunnings Tree Farms as well as performing other successful managerial and engineering roles. The Commonwealth Forestry Association, its associates and friends salute John Oldham for his outstanding contribution to a sustainable forestry and forest products sector!!.

-The award takes the form of an illuminated scroll and a CFA medal-

from Bob Newman Vice President and Regional Vice Chairman Asia and the Pacific.

CFA in Western Australia

With Local Secretary Prof John A Howard and Chairman Prof John Fox, the CFA Branch in Western Australia has been active with three meetings in the last year. Its particular perspective on worldwide forestry helps to complement the activities of the Australian Institute of Forestry. Topics covered included a comprehensive review of the state of private forestry by Charles Peaty, a report from the Commonwealth Conference in Zimbabwe by John Fox and an update on remote sensing in forest practice by John Howard and Paul Biggs - Scientific Adviser in the WA department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM). The branches activities were supported by Dr Syd Shea Director of CALM, who hosted a barbecue for CFA members and friends.

from John Howard

Around The World

15th Commonwealth Forestry Conference

"Forestry in a changing political environment: Challenges for the 21st Century" the proceedings of the 15th CFC held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, 12 - 17 May 1997 (272pp) are now published by the Zimbabwe Forestry Commission P.O.Box HG139 Highlands, Harare, Zimbabwe. E-mail: frchigh@harare.iafrica.com
The editors were P. Mushove, M. Mubaiwa, M. Mukwekwerere and C. Pfukwa

16th Commonwealth Forestry Conference

The next Commonwealth Forestry Conference will be held in Fremantle, Perth, Western Australia on 18-25 April 2001. Further details on the theme and programme will be available shortly from Libby Jones, Secretary of the Standing Committee on Commonwealth Forestry, (fax: 44 (0)131 334 0442, E-mail: libby.jones@forestry.gov.uk)

from LIBBY JONES

CFA and the Commonwealth Forestry Conference

Soon after becoming the first Director of the British Forestry Commission in 1919, Roy Robinson was instrumental in calling together the first Empire Forestry Conference to meet in London in July 1920. One resolution of that conference, particularly promoted by C.E. Lane Poole of Australia, was to set up an Association with Empire-wide forestry interests. These were the antecedents respectively, of to-day's Commonwealth Forestry Conference and Commonwealth Forestry Association. The memory of the two Australians will be a matter to celebrate at the 16th Conference in Fremantle.

The Standing Committee on Commonwealth Forestry (the committee of Commonwealth governmental forestry organisations responsible for the Conference) is responsible for organising the Conferences in liaison with the local host country, for providing continuity between Conferences and taking appropriate action on Conference resolutions. The Committee is chaired by the DG of the British Forestry Commission and the current secretary is Libby Jones.

While responsibility for the Commonwealth Forestry Conference lies with the governmental forestry organisations of the member countries, it is gratifying that the bond between the Conference and the non governmental Commonwealth Forestry Association, arising out of the latter's origin out of the first conference, has endured. In his presentation to the 15th Conference in Zimbabwe, Peter Wood then chairman of the CFA, recalled recommendations of the 14th Conference in Kuala Lumpur referring to the CFA:- that the role of the Commonwealth Forestry Association be considered particularly with reference to Commonwealth leadership in forestry initiatives; and - that countries should continue to give full support to Commonwealth organisations and agencies involved in forestry and field initiatives. The 15th Conference recommended that the Standing Committee on Commonwealth Forestry- invite the Commonwealth Forestry Association to strengthen its information role for the Commonweal!!th community between conferences, its human resource development capabilities and its international membership.

In relation to the 15th Conference the CFA performed a number of specific roles. At the request of sponsoring governments the CFA carried out the arrangements for the Commonwealth supported delegates. The CFA Workshop "Putting good ideas into practice - the role of professional organisations in relation to international forestry initiatives" was held in conjunction with the Conference. The CFA 1997 AGM was held at the Conference. Selected conference papers were published in the Commonwealth Forestry Review.

CDC - Investing in Forestry

The Commonwealth Development Corporation has more than £125 million, of its total investment of £1.6 billion, in forestry. Current investments include Usutu Pulp Co Ltd Swaziland, managed and controlled by Sappi of South Africa, with 50 000 ha of plantations and a pulp company; Shiselweni Forestry Co Ltd, Swaziland, a wholly owned CDC subsidiary with about 10 000 ha of plantations; Kolombangara Forest Products Ltd, Solomon Islands, owned and managed by CDC in partnership with the Government with 16 000 ha of plantations and plans for a processing factory; and Kilombero Valley Teak Co Ltd, Tanzania, a wholly owned CDC subsidiary developing teak plantations for production of telephone poles and sawlogs.

CDC is Britain's overseas development finance institution, investing in and supporting commercially viable and sound business enterprises in the emerging markets. It is considering a public/private partnership which will involve introduction of private capital in CDC. The Chief executive, Roy Reynolds, considers that sustainable forest requires committed long term investors with a clear appreciation of environmental factors and that CDC has the expertise and long term perspective allowing it to take a leading role worldwide in developing, managing and conserving forest resources.

from CDC, One Bessborough Gardens, London SW1V 2JQ

STOP PRESS
Recent information is that Usutu Pulp is in difficulty because of the crisis in the E.Asian market.

International forestry meetings in the first half of 1999

Attention is drawn to the following official forestry meetings of importance in the international discussion of sustainable development and the environment.

1-5 March 1999, Rome, Italy. 14th Session of FAO's Committee on Forestry (COFO)
8-9 March 1999, Rome, Italy. Second Meeting of Forest Ministers
19-30 April 1999, New York, USA. 7th Session of the UN Commission for Sustainable Development
3-14 May 1999, Geneva, Switzerland. Intergovernmental Forum on Forests 3rd Session
17-22 May (tentative) Chiang-Mai, Thailand. International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC) 26th Session

from TAGE MICHAELSEN IFF

Our Forests ...Our Future from WCFSD

The World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development presented a summary of its draft report to the meeting of IFF in September. Ola Ullsten of Sweden and Emil Salim of Indonesia co-chaired the Commission of 25 members, of whom 10 were from Commonwealth Countries. The Secretary General was John Spears a long standing member of CFA.

The Commission has emphasised in its report that the most important barrier to sustainable development of forests and people is often the lack of political will to implement sound policies. The report focuses on two concepts to politically address the crisis: public interest and sustainable development. Public interest goes beyond the commercial to include environmental, spiritual and recreational concerns. Public participation should be the basis of identifying public interest. Governments must do more to create governance mechanisms that channel political power to local forest user groups. Sustainable development includes the obligation to assure that this generation passes a healthy and productive ecosystem to the next generation.

The Commission is embarking on follow up to initiate action on some of its proposals. It proposes the creation of a citizens' force for discharge of the public trust and defence of the public interest in forests - FORESTRUST INTERNATIONAL. The Commission challenges fifteen countries to constitute themselves as a Forestry Security Council - F15 - to take up the mantle of leadership on behalf of their own, and the world's forests, and citizens. The Commission has also recommended the development of a FOREST CAPITAL INDEX to assess country wise contribution to global environmental services as a basis for compensation to countries that conserve forests. (See also CFR 77(4))

WCFSD, c/o International Institute of Sustainable Development, 161 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, R3B OY4, Canada . www: http://iisd/ca/wcfsd

World Forests, Society and Environment (WFSE)

The first edition of "World Forests, Society and Environment" will be published early in 1999 by Kluwer. WFSE is a project to produce a biennial publication presenting research-based reviews of important global topics and issues of current concern within world forests, society and environment from an independent and non-governmental point of view and with a multidisciplinary approach.

The project was initiated in 1996 to address these forest issues of global concern by three institutions: The European Forest Institute, EFI; The Finnish Forest Research Institute, METLA; and the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies, UNU/IAS. An Editorial Advisory Board draws on an international and multidisciplinary body of experts from five continents to provide scientific guidance in framing the publication and review and editing of the articles.

The potential audience includes national and international bodies that are concerned with articulating forest and related policy issues, the academia (students, teachers and researchers) as well as business professionals, non-governmental organisations and the media. Preparation of the first edition has been a truly international enterprise; the project team included experts from seven countries and the 40 articles involved 69 contributors from 20 countries.

The main contents of the first edition is made up as follows:

Part I provides an Editorial Perspectives analysing the ongoing globalisation processes of forests, societies and the environment. Part II Society and Environment reviews worldwide trends with significance for the future of forests and forestry considering the influence of the forest sector on trends and the external factors, such as demography, urbanisation, technological development, influencing the forest sector. Part III looks at the Importance of Forests the value of their goods and services; tangible and intangible; market and non-market; and concludes that failure to recognise their full value is one of the crucial impediments to sustainable development. In Part IV a Global Forum, scientists consider global forestry themes deforestation, trade and the environment, climate change, biodiversity with the aim of stimulating wider discussion. Part V Regional Forum looks at major themes of particular relevance to Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, North America and Europe, such as farm and agroforestry, corruption and concessions, urban forestry and environmental conflicts. Finally Part VI introduces the special theme forest sectors in transition economies. Teams of scientists from Russia and China focus on the implications of the transition from planned to market economy, illuminating both the very different nature of the forest sector in the two countries and the different transition paths that they have adopted.

from ABDALLAH KAONEKA - WFSE editor, Tanzania


Special features

How will you cope in a man's world?

When I was first asked this question in 1979 at an interview for entrance to the forestry degree at the University of Wales, Bangor, I was surprised! It led me to wonder whose world is it really? My naïve assumption at that time was that it was a world for whoever was interested and thus gender really should not be important. However, the last 20 years have clearly demonstrated that the forestry world is not one inhabited equally by women and men, it is actually a seriously divided world where opportunity and access to resources (natural, social, institutional and economic) are highly conditioned by gender, class, race and ethnicity.

Women are largely absent from the forestry profession whilst at the same time being the majority among groups dependent on forests for their livelihood. This is a serious problem where the main users of forest resources are invisible in the decision-making about them and in the interface between forest department staff and local people. In the end the major decision-making relationships remain those constructed through male interactions.

ITTO's Tropical Forest Update (TFU) "Recognising the Role of Women" (volume 8, no.2 1998) is devoted to an analysis of the role of women in forestry and provides a series of highly thought-provoking articles. These challenge my starting question and show the ways in which women try to cope in the world which, true to the question, is generally constructed through a male view of reality.

"Forestry has traditionally been one of the professions in which men have been most firmly and exclusively entrenched. It is not long since forestry schools - and hence the profession itself - were places open only to men. Arguments that the nature of the work make it unsuitable for women persisted in forestry long after that had disappeared in other 'manly' professions" (FAO, 1984 quoted in TFU).

Given the above statement, it is heartening to see from the articles in Tropical Forest Update, the increased presence of women in key decision-taking roles. CFNews No2 reported the appointment of Ms A. Chileshe as the new Director of Forestry in Zambia. However, in most government forest services the percentage of women is extremely low particularly at the crucial front-line staff level. This coupled with the near absence of women in senior management positions leads to the continued masculinisation of forestry. This is then reflected in the form of forest management and silvicultural systems that tend to reproduce the priorities of a more masculine view of the world - one focused on timber and markets, rather than one focused on multiple products including timber, servicing the household as well as the market.

The TFU through a variety of articles shows the diversity of ways in which women influence and are influenced in the forest sector. Madhu Sarin writes vividly about the complexity of social relationships governing access to resources and decision-making in India. Lobbying has resulted in state governments ensuring that there are more equitable arrangements for joint forest management. There is, however, a long way to go before the formalised decision-making structures at village-level fully incorporate women's forest-based needs. What we do see from this article is not just an increased awareness of the role of women but also positive change to support women.

In Ghana, the highly influential and powerful 31st December Women's Movement provides the focus for a major reforestation movement spearheaded by women. The article by Edith Abruquah describes the work of the Movement, supported by ITTO, to empower women to raise and market tree seedlings. The approach, taken by the Movement, underlines the importance of initiatives that focus on developing the capacity of women, through self-help groups, federations etc, to control the means of production and thus to begin to exercise some control over their own environment. In a similar way another ITTO supported project in Thailand, to develop an effective buffer-zone, focused on empowering women to take control of their livelihoods through provision of opportunities to diversify income-generating activities.

What all these articles indicate is the importance of understanding the social context of women and men. This should include an understanding of the way in which they interact and how this determines their differential access to resources and decision-making. The article from Nepal illustrates that where such understanding is missing, community forestry will not bring equal benefits to all but can actually widen the gap between women and men 'in terms of access and control rights'. Where understanding is present, differences between women and men do not become an unnecessary complicating factor, but rather a mechanism for ensuring that the right people take the right decisions to ensure the sustainable management of forest resources to meet a multiplicity of stakeholder needs.

In the words of Stephanie Caswell, Chairperson of International Tropical Timber Council:

"I suspect there cannot be true sustainable forest management today and tomorrow unless women's voices are heard - the voices of women who can help find lasting solutions to the problems facing the world's forests".

Perhaps in future years men applying to enter the forestry profession will be asked: "how will they cope in a woman's world?" Still better, will be a world where there is no need to worry about whether you are male or female but both have equal opportunity and respect for each other's needs.

from MARY HOBLEY

Deforestation on the increase in Zambia

The newly formed Zambia Branch of the CFA, has expressed worry over the huge area of forests that the country is losing every year through indiscriminate felling. Immediate and drastic measures should be taken to counteract the problem and check the rapid rate of deforestation in Zambia

According to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, it is estimated that Zambia loses 200 000 to 300 000 ha of forest every year through felling for fuel, charcoal production, expansion of agriculture, over exploitation for timber, late destructive fires, over grazing and urban expansion. Deforestation would worsen, given the current economic malaise characterised by poverty and unemployment.

The CFA Zambia Branch realises that forests are an important agent for development and their loss has serious consequences for the stability of the environment. It has observed that all along, the local people have been alienated from running the forests and therefore don't care what is happening to them and don't see why they should be involved. The Branch is therefore looking at ways of involving local communities in the running of forests and after completing its assessment programme, will put projects in place aimed at rejuvenating Zambia's natural resources.

The government admits that previously the management of natural resources, including trees and wild animals, was seen as the responsibility of government alone. The permanent secretary at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr Peter Mwamfuli says that "at one time this policy had succeeded, but now due to the increase in population a lot of pressure has been exerted on these natural resources". The government controls 7 million ha of forest reserves, 31 000 ha have already been gazetted to allow for settlement.

Zambia's population is likely to reach 18 million in the next 23 years and the growth rate has increased from 2.6% in 1969 to 3.1%, so it is feared the population will have doubled by the year 2020. The sheer growth of population and the country's increasingly urbanised nature guarantees that the effect on timber demand will eventually become dramatic.

CFA Zambia is therefore urging government to be liberal in its allocation of resources in order for people to make informed decisions about the use of their natural resources. There must also be a deliberate policy to create jobs in rural areas, as a way of restraining the pressure towards urbanisation and the social and psychological dislocation it can cause. If industry is adequately to play its part, action must be taken now. The forest industry certainly faces major challenges in meeting future demand.

According to the Water Affairs Department, the annual runoff is estimated at 1.8 million cum, while ground water is also approximated at 1.8 million cum. The loss of forests in Zambia affects the water table, resulting in depletion of ground water and decrease in river flow. This in turn affects water supplies for domestic use and for industrial uses such as generating electricity and off season agriculture. The water table is not only affected by lack of percolation, but also by the ever increasing sinking of boreholes, for instance by the well-to-do citizens of Lusaka because of the erratic supplies of the Lusaka Water and Sewage Company.

To safeguard the water, CFA Zambia is urging government and environmental NGOs to join forces in sensitising people on why it is important to reserve areas such as watersheds so they remain un-tampered with.

Proper appreciation of the importance of forests must be shown by government, by NGOs and indeed by Members of Parliament who voice that concern. If the depletion of forests continues in Zambia, there will be in the next years, little time for our children to enjoy watching trees grow.

from SINGY HANYONA and VICTOR KAWANGA, CFA Zambia*

*These authors are awarded the first CFNews Book Prize.*


News of members and friends

John Valentine and John Holloway in Birthday Honours

Both Dr John Valentine and John Holloway were honoured under the reconstructed New Zealand Queen's Birthday awards system for their contribution to forestry in New Zealand. Dr Valentine's isrelated to his leadership as head of the Ministry of Forestry, and John Holloway's to his astute management of both productive and conservation roles of forestry with the former Forest Service and his more recent contribution as Director of Research in the department of Conservation.

Peter Berg chairman of NZ Institute of Forestry

Peter Berg, who is presently chairman of the New Zealand CFA branch, has recently been elected Chairman of the New Zealand Institute of Forestry. Peter is director of BFL Forestry services. He also serves on the NZ Government Science Advisory Committee, the Forest Industry Training and Education Council and on the Council of Forest Owners Association. He is co-author of a couple of books on the history of forest development in New Zealand.

All three above graduated from the same forestry school so we may say with no shadow of bias - a good couple of months for Aberdeen Graduates down here

from PETER BERGNZ Section Chairman


Research

ICRIS

In September 1998 a meeting was held at Gmunden, Austria, hosted by the governments of Indonesia and Austria concerning the future directions of forestry research. The International Consultation on Research and Information Systems in forestry (ICRIS) brought together participants from 32 countries and several international agencies such as CIFOR, EFI, FAO, and IUFRO. The purpose of the consultation was to review forestry research globally to examine the key issues likely to shape research strategies. The conclusions would contribute the research dimension to the deliberations of the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF), in particular for their meeting scheduled for May 1999.

The main outcomes were: 1) the need for better and more readily accessible data on forest resources worldwide with a proposal to establish a global forest information service; 2) the crucial importance of capacity building to conduct effective research, especially in developing countries; 3) the strongly emerging theme of the poor and marginalised and how forestry research can directly help alleviate poverty; 4) the decline in public funding for research and how other funding sources can be harnessed while recognising the strong self-interest of the private sector; and 5) the recognition that well-focused research has a huge amount to offer in development and advance of forestry and, economically, is one of the most effective forms of aid.

from JULIAN EVANS Vice-Chairman

About TERI

TERI is an autonomous, not-for-profit research institution established in 1974. It is involved in research activities in the field of energy, the environment, biotechnology, forestry, and the whole range of sustainable development issues. Nearly 300 professionals, drawn from a wide range of disciplines, are working in TERI's headquarters at New Delhi, as well as in regional centres in India (Bangalore, Mumbai, Goa, Guwahati,Yamunanagar) and overseas (USA, Germany, CIS & Central Asia). TERI is host to the secretariate of the Asian Energy Institute (AEI), a network of energy institutions from Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Kuwait, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

The Institute's activities can be broadly classified into the five major areas of Policy Analysis, Energy Technology, Renewable Resource Management, Biotechnology and Information Services. The Forestry Group of the Biotechnology Division deals with various research and development issues concerning India's forest resources and biodiversity. The work areas include promoting participatory resource management systems, land management, silvicultural research, management of hi-tech clonal nursery, studies on global warming and climate change, forest policy analysis, and capacity building through training programmes and publications.

For more information on our Institute kindly visit us at our web site: http://www.terin.org

from T.P.SINGH


Education

Developments in the National School of Forestry, UK

The National School of Forestry at Newton Rigg College is well known to foresters throughout the world, and for the last 30 years has balanced the vocational and academic needs of foresters built on close liaison with the industry. This balanced approach to the curriculum has been the hallmark of the school and the touchstone of its success in graduate employment.

The recently approved merger with the University of Central Lancashire will enable the school to build on its strengths and expand the curriculum.. The school will remain at Newton Rigg, located on the edge of the English Lake District. A new £4 million resource centre, containing the library and information technology (IT) facilities, is to be built on the campus, with construction starting in early 1999.

Opportunities for students to study overseas, either on work placements or as part of their curriculum have been extended. In the last year UK students studied or worked in the USA, Canada, South America, Kenya, India, New Zealand, Finland and Holland, while we welcomed students from Bolivia, Japan, Sudan, South Africa and St Helena on full time higher education programmes.

The National School of Forestry, Newton Rigg, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 OAH.
http://www.newtonrigg.ac.uk

from CHRIS STARR, Principal Lecturer


Correspondence

Why do forestry projects fail?

B.L. Das writes from India:

While thanking Neil Byron for his comments in CFNews No 1, I feel certain points need further clarification.

The aims of Taungya cultivation were to help the poor and landless and to raise agricultural crops in conjunction with forestry species. Raising the agricultural crop was their choice, as was the type of crop. They were at liberty to sell the products and utilise the proceeds for their own benefit. I myself raised 500 acres of teak plantations with this method in the 1950's. There was no question of exploitation, only the Communist Party objected to rotational allocation of land to gain political mileage.

A forester is never an oppressor as has been made out. Even during colonial rule in India, many of our British foresters are still remembered for their selfless service to tribal development associated with forestry. There is a difference between being an oppressor and being indifferent to local needs, or being unable to meet ever increasing demand due to shortage of products - particularly of bamboo in India. Now in many areas private forests are being raised both by the people and also industrial houses. The social forestry wings of the different states, manned by the Forest Service, are rendering them valuable service by offering technical know-how and nursery seedlings at a very nominal rate.

Low forest cover

Gyde Lund, writes from USA:

The International Forum on Forests (IFF) "recognised that there are both developed and developing countries with low forest cover. Low forest cover can arise as a result of natural ecological conditions, as well as of human activities and the situation is constantly changing. Some countries are actively expanding their forest cover, while others are approaching qualification for entry into the low forest category. ... The restricted area of forests in countries with low forest cover results in reduced capacity for the production of timber and for the provision of goods and services. Moreover, many of the forest types in those countries are distinctive or even rare, and require national protective measures and international support."

One recent recommendation from the IFF was to develop a workable and precise definition of low forest cover, applicable to all countries and suitable for use in the forest resource assessment in the year 2000.

I am trying to get a handle on what the definition should be. The following are two possibilities:

  1. Base it on the amount of forest land in relation to the total land area in a country.
  2. Base it on the amount of forest land in relation to the total human population in a country.

In either case the national figure would be compared to a global average. Which looks more acceptable? Are there other options? What should the threshold be - all countries below the global average or some other figure such as 10% or less? (or should it be a relationship to population)?

Comments and recommendations you can provide will be appreciated

H. Gyde Lund, Integrated Resource Inventories and Assessments, 8221 Thornwood Ct. Manassas, VA 20110-4627 USA. Email: gklund@worldnet.att.net


Forest Scenes

Urban forests of Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes City, halfway between Oxford and Cambridge and halfway between London and Birmingham now has a population approaching 200,000, having grown from 45,000 at its foundation in 1967. The economic success of the city and its people has much to do with the location, its amenities and its intensely green credentials. The visitor is immediately impressed with not only the generous swathes of open spaces, but also with the way in which motorways, service roads, footpaths and cycle tracks are cleverly arranged to avoid conflict. The city has been developed in an area characterised by flat landscapes and slow drainage and subject to flooding, so much attention has been directed to creating a satisfactory living landscape for the community and controlling water. The city's construction and the parks, tree planting and forestry operations were originally managed by the Milton Keynes Development Corporation, directly. Since 1992 the parks, forestry and amen!!ity operations have been the responsibility of the Milton Keynes Parks Trust, an independent non-profit charitable enterprise. The trust is financed by rent from its own investments which include many commercial properties in the city itself bequeathed to it by the former corporation. This is important, since the forestry operations are thus freed from the uncertainties of local government funding; estate and other income are also available directly for investment in forest operations. The trust receives no funding from the City Council. It is managed by a board of 14 trustees which includes representatives of the Royal Forestry and Agricultural Societies, the local Naturalists' Trust, from Milton Keynes the Chamber of Trade and Sports Council as well as local councils and co-opted members.

The area managed by the Milton Keynes Parks Trust covers some 1600 ha, of which 25% is woodland and 10% water. The forest areas include some small ancient village sites and some Sites of Special Scientific Interest, but the bulk of the land which has been planted with trees was formerly agricultural land, most of the species planted being indigenous to the area, which has an unusually high proportion of Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) together with English oak (Quercus robur) and Ash (Fraxinus excelsior). On the low lying lands where flood control is a major objective, poplars are the main species. The staggering growth - up to tropical speeds - of some of the recently-developed hybrids from Belgium, such as the Beaupre and Boelare clones, was very impressive. Planting at Hazeley restoring tree cover on former winter cereal land and management of old semi-natural forest at Howe Par!!k illustrate the use of woodland to enhance landscape. In both of these areas the participation in decision making by local people, local government and pressure groups was an important part of the management approach. The management of woodlands and tree planting is an integral part of the management of parks , the transport and communications network and the recreational areas of the city.

All in all the Milton Keynes Parks Trust has much to be proud of in its prudent planning and sensitive application of the principles of good land husbandry. In 1997 the Trust received the National Centre of Excellence Award from the National Forest Authority of England, whose Chief Conservator said at the presentation ceremony: "These woodlands face all the pressures of an urban fringe site, yet the challenges are being tackled very successfully through imaginative management. The result is an excellent example of community woodland which balances the needs of people and wildlife, enhances a developing townscape and produces a very worthwhile timber crop".

from PETER WOOD Vice-President and BRIAN SALTER Chief executive Milton Keynes Parks Trust

Australian trees respond to climate change

Eucalypts have received little attention from dendrochronologists since most species produce indistinct annual rings. This is because growth is opportunistic resulting in numerous multiple or indistinct rings in trees growing in most environments. Species from cold winter environments produce datable rings and in a recent study of trees of sub-alpine snow gum, Eucalyptus pauciflora, growing near the treeline at 1600-1700 m in the Koscuizsko National Park, has revealed some interesting results. The annual growth pattern since the 1959/60 growth season is distinctly different from that observed in previous decades. Ring widths displayed a wide amplitude with significantly wider rings, i.e. faster growth, than pre 1959/60 interspersed with very narrow rings. Often a narrow ring was followed by a wide ring in the following year, demonstrating this species' ability to recover rapidly after a poor growing year. This growth pattern !!is absent from the previous 80 years of tree ring records investigated. This finding strongly suggests a relatively abrupt and permanent change in the trees' environment over the past three decades. Narrow rings may result from adverse growing conditions - snow damage, low rainfall, insect defoliation, etc. The frequent occurrence of wide rings was not so easily explained. Preliminary results suggest wide rings are correlated negatively with spring rainfall, but positively with rainfall in late summer and autumn months.

from JOHN BANKS Australian National University, Canberra


CFA Initiatives

Commonwealth Forestry Review 77(4)

PAPERS

Towards the privatisation of state forests in Zimbabwe
DAVID P. GWAZE

Forestry in transition in Vietnam
C. HOWARD

A case of integrated development in the boreal forest of Saskatchewan, Canada
O.T. BOUMAN and S.N. KULSHRESHTHA

Limitations of low-intensity selection and selective logging for sustainable tropical forestry
TODD S. FREDERICKSEN

Influence of climate on top height and diameter development in Pinus radiata forests in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand
R.C WOOLLONS, R. SANDS and P. SNOWDON

The walnut (Juglans regia L.) forests of Kyrgyzstan and their importance as a genetic resource
GABRIEL E. HEMERY and SERGEI I. POPOV

Detection of defects in trees
J.A. DOLWIN, D. LONSDALE and J. BARNETT

MISCELLANY
Climate change conference Buenos Aires
World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development
European Union support for tropical forest management
The legal implications of discriminatory action against tropical timber
The Forest Stewardship Council and certification
Hong Kong Conservation Areas
Effect of species extinction on evolutionary history
National Forestry Accords: U.K. and Canada

CFNews Book Prize

This prize was presented on the occasion of the inauguration of the Zambia CFA Branch to SINGY HANYONA and VICTOR KAWANGA for their article "Deforestation on the increase in Zambia" published in CFNews No3.

This first CFNews book prize was awarded in commemoration of the contribution to African Forestry of the late Martin Rukuba of Uganda. The endowment of this first prize by Martin's wife and family is acknowledged with thanks.

CFNews invites contributions

Send them to the editor E-mail: 101656.1772@compuserve.com
CFA Facsimile: [+44]01865 275074. E.mail cfa@plants.ox.ac.uk
CFA., Oxford Forestry Institute, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RB, UK.

- from you yourself and from members of your university, forestry school, research station, organisation, company, association. This is a call to all foresters, to people concerned about forestry - around the Commonwealth - in every country and organisation interested in forestry around the world.

A contribution may be about the organisation, a particular initiative, activity or piece of research or a descriptive piece about a forestry subject, of interest to colleagues around the world with information about approaches, studies, problems or exciting features of your forestry. The rule is that contributions should be in the form of a very concise essay of not more than 250 words. Authors should provide their name and address and position in the institution.

Note the book prize for the best essays selected for publication received from students, young researchers and young professional foresters.

A lively and participative CFA needs you!


Commonwealth Forestry Association

The ability of the Association to mobilise the rich expertise to address forestry issues of national, regional and global concern, to provide timely information and a forum for the informal exchange of ideas is altogether dependent on its wide and active membership. We are privileged to have and to belong to this community. It can be better if we build it further with new members, maintain it by ensuring that existing members stay with us and that those whose membership has lapsed are recalled. The Association Secretary, Ms Michelle Leeks, the Editorial Assistant Ms Pratima Mitchelle and Financial Consultant, Ms Virginia Ross are seeking to ensure that we reach all members with current and recent standing in a timely way. This newsletter is, in addition, going out to Forest Services, Forest Research Institutes and Forestry Schools across the Commonwealth. Please help to bring all on board, pass the message on and encourage new members to join!

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Membership is available to anyone throughout the world with an interest in forestry!

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