Conclusions of the eighth Commonwealth forestry conference
Policy
Condition of the forests
Management
Wild life management
Utilization
Education and training
Delegations from the following Member Countries, mostly headed by chiefs of forest services, participated in the Eighth Commonwealth Forestry Conference held in June-July 1962: Australia, Canada, Cyprus, India, Kenya, Malaya, Mauritius, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Rhodesia, Nyasaland, Southern Rhodesia, Tanganyika, Trinidad, Uganda, United Kingdom and Zanzibar. An observer from the United States of America and representatives of FAO also attended, as reported in the last issue of Unasylva.
One of the features of these conferences, which are held every five years (the next will probably be held in India), is an impartial review of the forestry situation in the host country or countries. That part of the report of the conference devoted to East African forestry is summarized below.
"Our comments are based on information given to us, and observations made by us, during the course of the conference tours in Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika, and during discussions in plenary session in Nairobi and in committee.
We have noted the forest policies which are in existence in each country, and stress the desirability of each country making a declaration of forest policy on attaining independence. We recommend that forests whose management is in the national interest, both for protection and production purposes, should remain under the control of national forest services and that forests under the management of local authorities should continue to be managed by those local authorities under the guidance of the national forest services. In this connection, we commend the policy of encouraging local authorities to undertake the management of forests of purely local value.
We recognize the overriding need to assure water supplies in each of the three countries; we therefore endorse the policy of reserving protection forests for this purpose and stress the need to maintain and extend its application.
Having regard for the need to obtain an expansion of wood production to meet the future requirements of the three countries, and recognizing the important role played by forestry in the national economy and in public welfare, we recommend that adequate financial provision should be made for the continuation of forest development in all national development programs.
In view of the rapid development now taking place in the three countries, there is an urgent need to coordinate land use. We therefore recommend that effective national organizations, with full forestry representation, should be set up for this purpose.
We agree that the silvicultural techniques evolved for dealing with indigenous forests are particularly impressive. In view of the importance of these forests for both production and protection, we recommend that advanced research into the many problems involved should continue.
Steady progress is being made in the establishment of exotic softwood plantations in all three countries. It is recommended, however, that further species trials together with investigation and research into genetics, planting techniques, methods of management and utilization of intermediate yields should be carried out.
We recommend that all three countries continue species trials on sites of lower quality than those generally in use at present.
We have noted the importance of private and communal forests to the general economy of East Africa for the production of wattle bark, firewood and poles, as well as for the provision of water, shade and shelter. We therefore recommend that governments continue to give every encouragement and help to ensure that these forests are managed to the best advantage.
Having considered the extent to which inventories have been carried out and having regard for the need to know how best to meet the greatly increased demand for all forms of wood likely to arise by the end of the present century, we recommend that inventories should be extended to cover all reserved and unreserved forest areas, including savanna woodlands and private plantations, in order that total wood resources in relation to land-use requirements may be assessed in all three countries. We also emphasize the importance of maintaining the continuity of such inventories at periodic intervals. If limitations of staff and other resources preclude the rapid implementation of this recommendation, we suggest that consideration should be given to the possibility of enlisting outside aid for this purpose.
Wood production and catchment protection are the primary functions of forest reserves. Subject to the foregoing and in furtherance of the concept of multiple land use, we recommend that the secondary uses (e.g., grazing, cultivation, wild life conservation and recreation) should also be developed under the control of the forest authority, preferably in consultation with other appropriate authorities. As a corollary, we recommend that on unreserved areas under the control of other authorities, management, conservation and extension of forest resources should be conducted in consultation with the forest authority.
Bearing in mind the loss of experienced professional staff that may occur in the next few years, we recommend that management plans and tending techniques should be made as flexible and as simple as possible.
We recognize the importance of wild life management if animal populations are not to get out of hand and cause damage to the forests. Because East Africa is unique in the world for its wild life and, if this wild life is to be considered as a world resource we recommend that:
(a) part of the cost of conserving this wild life should be a world responsibility;
(b) widespread publicity be undertaken to inform the general public of the objectives of wild life conservation and the necessity for wild life management.
We have noted that the wood consumption and production studies which have recently been carried out [by FAO] in the three countries forecast a substantial deficit before the end of the present century. The overall deficit by the year 2000 will be of the order of 27 million cubic feet per annum which is an amount greater than the present total annual consumption in all three countries.
We have also examined the planting program of the three countries which have been taken into consideration in the calculation of these deficits. Any curtailment of current planting programs will clearly make this position worse.
Having regard to these future wood requirements and to the fact that:
(a) the rise in the living standards of the people, which is the declared objective of the three governments, may well be impeded if supplies of wood and wood products for local requirements are not readily available at prices which the people can afford;
(b) roundwood, sawn timber, poles and wood fuel are less able to bear transport costs than pulp and pulp products;
(c) Kenya's expected surplus wood could be utilized for the manufacture of pulp and paper production;
(d) certain locally produced timbers find a ready export market;
(e) considerable areas of eucalypt plantations which can be easily managed and show satisfactory growth and tree form have already been established in the three countries;
we recommend that action should be taken by each of the three countries to:
(i) develop a forest estate of sufficient extent and productivity to meet its own requirements in timber, poles and wood fuel and also to meet any profitable export market;
(ii) institute market surveys;
(iii) expand facilities for utilization research and training, if necessary with assistance from outside that region, through a centralized research center, perhaps at Moshi, with adequate facilities for extension work, particularly in the field of logging and in the design and study of saw mills suitable for operation by Africans: such a center should continue to co-operate with the other research organizations in each of the three countries (in this connection the committee wishes to commend the excellent work already being done at the Moshi, Nairobi and Kampala utilization research centers);
(iv) include in their research programs a project on the milling, seasoning and reconditioning of eucalypt timber;
(v) Maintain facilities for the collection of adequate statistics to allow a regular review of the wood consumption and production forecast: we wish to stress the need for such reviews at periodic intervals.
We have noted the very efficient technical forestry training schools which exist in the three countries, and we support the policy of undertaking this training in the countries themselves. We emphasize the advantages to be derived from sending part-trained or serving technical officers to undertake special courses of instruction overseas. We believe that residence in a different country is in itself broadening and stimulating.
Having regard for the need to increase wood production in each of the three countries, we recommend that action should be taken, as soon as possible, to meet additional requirements in professional and technical staff. This can be done in three ways:
(a) by the expansion of existing technical training facilities;
(b) by the provision of scholarships for special courses overseas;
(c) by the establishment of a forestry faculty: the fact that a university college and well-established regional forestry research and utilization centers already exist in East Africa suggests that a suitable location for such a faculty can be found."
