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Commonwealth
Forests | | |
 SUMMARY
Forest research has a long tradition in the Commonwealth, based as it has been for decades
on the essential need for scientific investigation in support of forest management and
conservation. Many countries, within and outside the Commonwealth, owe a considerable
debt to the experience of India in establishing forest research within the official forest service.
Much work has been done on the development of techniques for tropical lowland forest
management, although more remains to be done, and dry formations are less well
investigated. The matching of species and provenances to site, and tree improvement work,
has led to remarkable advances in plantation technologies and productivity throughout the
Commonwealth; an example of a new priority is the need for hardwood plantations for high
value veneer logs. Work on timber properties has led to the utilisation of many previously
unused species, a particular example being the development of conversion techniques for
rubber wood leading to the development of a major wood-working industry in Malaysia and
elsewhere. Future research work will relate to tree breeding for improved recovery of wood and
fibre. Although much has been done through participatory research to develop methodologies
for the involvement of civil society in the management of public forests the application still has
a long way to go. India’s Joint Forest management (JFM) initiatives are positive examples.
Research is also still needed to increase the role of forestry in poverty reduction and to
optimise the contribution of agroforestry and trees on farms in rural economies.
But more intensive management of both natural and planted forest is leading to greater risks
from insect pests and disease outbreaks (discussed in relation to management in Chapter 2)
and protection will constitute a priority for forest research in future.
Above all, however, all countries, whether developed or developing, tropical, temperate or
boreal, emphasise the need for research into the impact on forests of climate change.
Priorities will include such topics as the adaptation of species, provenances and ecosystems
to drought, maintaining forest biological diversity, the effect of forest management practices on
water catchment yields, fire prevention and control, and the detection and control of invasive
species.
Other new directions will include social research related to the growth of an urban population
with little appreciation of countryside issues, such as fire hazard, and other urban forestry
issues such as tree planting for site amelioration on polluted sites.
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
The final chapter of Commonwealth Forests attempts to identify the main challenges facing
Commonwealth forests and the people who look after them and to build on the opportunities
that exist for meeting these challenges. Here are three bullet points covering the challenges
in
forest research as seen by the author:
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Forest research faces a considerable challenge in developing mechanisms both to
adapt to the effects of climate change and to contribute to its amelioration. Among the
former will be the adaptation of forest systems (including plantations) to drought and
the increased risk of fire and pest attack, the maintenance of forest biological diversity,
and the development of forest management practices to maintain or increase water
catchment yields.
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Forest research must contribute more directly in future to informed policy-making and
planning.. To do this it will increasingly need to move towards social, economic and
political concerns in addition to its traditional strength in silviculture and ecology.
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But these technical challenges cannot be faced unless the funding of forest research in
all Commonwealth countries improves, accompanied by the strengthening of human
resources in terms both of staff numbers and training.
The opportunities will start with two overarching strengths - the shared common language,
which could facilitate working together to share experiences in solving common challenges.
The other is the role of the Commonwealth Forestry Conference.
One of the main opportunities in forest research is the Commonwealth-wide recognition of the
imminent and usually negative impact which climate change will have on society. It offers
forest researchers a unique opportunity to emphasise the shared nature of the challenge and
thus the possibility of working together to find a solution - with improved support.
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