FAO forestry activities 1983
Other news
1. Forest resources and environment
Development and management of forests. In 1983, FAO's forest-resources data bases for a permanent World Tropical Forest Information System were expanded. Briefs on forest resources were completed for 14 additional tropical countries, bringing the total number of countries covered by the forest-resources information system to 90, representing 99 percent of the total area of the countries situated wholly or mostly within the tropical heft.
Assistance in the application of new technologies to forest-resources inventory and monitoring was continued, particularly through the Forest Inventory Data-Processing System (FIDAPS) programme. Experiments were conducted in the use of meteorological satellites for monitoring tropical forest cover. Application of remote-sensing techniques, with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) assistance, is being facilitated through the development of Forest Vegetation Classification Schemes. Three pilot studies applying this methodology were implemented, in India, the Philippines and Thailand.
Tree improvement and plantations. The joint project with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on the Conservation of Forest Genetic Resources continued to establish in situ and ex situ conservation stands, mainly in African and Asian countries. These projects have also contributed to the government efforts to develop appropriate tree-planting programmes. Under the FAO International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR) project on Exploitation and Conservation of Genetic Resources of Arid and Semi-arid Zone Species, greater attention was given to forest seed collection, distribution. evaluation and utilization. with special emphasis on the genetic resources of those tree species that are of greatest usefulness for the improvement of rural life. Eight countries are participating in this project.
Management guidelines for in situ conservation are in preparation. The activities of the cooperative network of national institutes in seed procurement and genetic resources were increased, and FAO's assistance continued through seed contributions and technical support for the collection and evaluation of seeds and for training. Over 20 member countries were involved in these activities.
Conservation and wildlife. Cooperation was continued with member countries, particularly on upland conservation policies and practices as part of integrated watershed and forest-land management. Under the global programme on audio-visual aids for training, motivation and extension in upland conservation, additional audio-visual packages were prepared. A Regional FAO/Finland Training Course on Watershed Management for Africa was carried out in Nairobi in January 1983. A publication, Management of upland watersheds: participation of the mountain communities, was issued in the FAO Conservation Guides Series. In arid-zone forestry, FAO/DANIDA (Danish International Development Agency) training courses on sand-dune stabilization. shelter-belts and afforestation in dry zones were held in Somalia and the Sudan. In addition. four technical publications are being prepared: "Manual on shelter-belts", "Guidelines on silvo-pastoral management", "Manual on arid-zone forestry for field technicians", and "Practical manual on fodder and fuelwood". In wildlife and national parks. two publications, "Administrative guidelines for national parks" and "National parks planning manual", are scheduled to be released soon. The AFC Working Party on Wildlife and National Parks met in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, on 19 and 20 September 1983.
2. Forest industries and trade
Development of forest industries. Studies were carried out to support national efforts on forest-industries development in wood-fuelled heat and power plants; the viability of small-scale manufacture of newsprint and printing and writing paper based on chemi-mechanical pulping, and the pulp and paper industry in India, Madagascar and the Congo. Particular emphasis was given to organizing training through technical-cooperation activities. FAO actively collaborated in International Workshops on Management of Environmental Problems in the Pulp and Paper Industry organized by UNEP in India, the Philippines, Kenya, Mexico and Brazil and at FAO headquarters in Rome. FAO is currently involved in updating the Study on pulp and paper industries development in the ASEAN countries". Forestry Paper No. 40, Circular saw manual, was published. Another study, Establishment of pulp and paper mills - a guide for developing countries (Forestry Paper No. 45), was also published.
A Regional Consultation on Wood-Based Panels for Asia and the Pacific was held in New Delhi in February 1983 in collaboration with the Forest Industries Development Group for Asia and the Pacific. FAO also co-sponsored the UNIDO Consultation on Mechanical Forest Industries held in Helsinki in October 1983. A seminar was also organized on Coconut-Wood Processing for the Caribbean Sub-region, in Kingston. Jamaica. Preparation is well under way for the organization of the First FAO/Finland Workshop of Management and Forest Industries, planned to he held in Kotka, Finland, from 26 August to 15 September 1984. Also being organized is an International Consultation on Appropriate Forest Industries, possibly in Jakarta. Indonesia, during the second half of 1985. The Twenty-fourth Session of the Pulp and Paper Advisory Committee was held in Rome in May 1983.
STACKED FUEL IN SENEGAL FAO expands its efforts
Trade and marketing. FAO continued its cooperation with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in the follow-tip of the 1976 Resolution on Integrated Programme on Commodities related to Tropical Timber. which culminated in the UN Conference on Tropical Timber. The Conference agreed on the text of the International Tropical Timber Agreement, which must now be ratified. The proposal is to set up a new International Tropical Timber Organization. the location of which is to he decided by the governing council of the proposed organization at its first meeting.
At the regional level. FAO cooperated with the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in activities related to tropical timber. FAO participated actively in the two meetings of the Intergovernmental Consultative Forum of Developing Tropical Timber-Producing/Exporting Countries, held in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. The Forum is considered an initial step in the formation of a regional tropical-timber community. Publication of the Monthly bulletin on tropical forest products in world timber trade and its quarterly supplements was continued.
Logging and transport. Training and the publication of practical handbooks and manuals with extra-budgetary support were the main focus of the logging and transport sub-programme. The Fourth FAO/Austria Training Course on Mountain Forest Roads and Wood Harvesting was held in Ossiach and Ort, Austria, during May and June 1983. Action is well under way for the computerization of logging-equipment specifications and costs, and this will have considerable impact on field projects. Field missions were carried out in Fiji and Viet Nam for developing projects on logging training and investment.
PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF LOGGING new FAO handbooks and manuals published
3. Forest investment and institutions
Training and institutions. The FAO/SIDA (Swedish International Development Authority) Consultation on Forest Administration for Development, held in Rome, examined administrative structures and organizations with a view to producing an updated reference work on forestry administration based on the substantive proceedings of the Consultation, which were published in August 1983. (Selected papers from the conference were also published in Unasylva, Vol. 36. No. 142.) Preparation of a forestry-extension manual is nearing completion, and this is expected to be published in 1984. (Vol. 36, No. 143 of Unasylva features forestry extension). A study on forestry training needs in Africa was implemented, and a strategy based on the study was devised for meeting high-level training needs. The Twelfth Session of the FAO Advisory Committee on Forestry Education met in Nairobi from 26 to 29 April 1983.
Legislation continued to receive attention, particularly in relation to its role in the promotion of community forestry, in a number of countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. In addition. a review of forest laws and regulations was made. in cooperation with the African Timber Organization in its member countries. Forestry Paper No. 43, Forest revenue systems in developing countries, was published to provide guidance to developing countries in reviewing and updating their forest-revenue systems.
WILD SASSABIES IN BOTSWANA FAO advising on wildlife management
Investment planning and statistics. A study on Foreign Private Investment in the Forest Sector in Africa was completed, as part of a global study in developing regions of the world. The study found that such investment is far greater than previously assumed: A report on it was prepared for the United Nations Centre or, Transnational Corporations (UNCTC)/FAO African Workshop on Negotiations with Transnational Corporations in Tropical Timber. Continued assistance was given to member countries to improve planning capabilities in the forestry sector and to understand the use of techniques of economic analysis. The sub-programme on investment planning and statistics also provided backstopping to investment-oriented activities. Assistance was given to the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank in developing and teaching a course on project planning in forestry and forest industries and to the Inter-American Development Bank in preparing background studies on the forest sector. A fourth volume of training and reference materials on Economic Analysis of Forestry Projects is nearing completion.
Under the FAO programme on international statistics of the forestry sector, statistics were made available to national and international agencies through Yearbook of forest products, Forest product prices and Pulp and paper capacities. A new Survey of Wood-Based Panel Industry has been initiated in 1983. Work has also begun on the collection of information on people in forestry. A major clement of this sub-programme concentrates on studies of the outlook for the supply and demand of forest products. In response to an FAO Conference resolution. the capacity for forward analysis and fore casting of world forest-products supply and demand was strengthened. Moreover. work has started on a new round of outlook studies to provide information on selected long-term international perspectives for forest policy formulation.
Forest policies and information. Meetings of the African. European and Near East Forestry Commissions and the Committee on Forest Development in the Tropics were serviced, and publication of Unasylva continued.
4. Forestry for rural development
Community forestry. The first three-year phase of the FAO Special Action Programme Forestry for Local Community Development (FLCD), supported by SIDA. was formally completed by the end of June 1982, and its second phase commenced in July 1983. The purpose of the Programme is to stimulate and support forestry activities that can help people meet such basic needs as those for food, fuel and housing materials and that can enhance their income, well-being and environment. The Programme has major components related to field activities and dissemination of information. FLCD field activities are designed to provide small-scale supplementary assistance to help countries initiate or accelerate projects or programmes that support forestry activities at the community level and that are of direct benefit to the rural people: 38 field projects were taken up in 36 countries during the first phase of the FLCD Programme. Two important publications, Wood fuel surveys and Simple technologies for charcoal making, were released during 1983. So far, some 50 FLCD Programme publications (22 major publications and studies and 28 field-activity reports) have been issued. Demand for these publications is increasing, and more than 20000 copies of the primary publications have been distributed.
During 1983, the community forestry sub-programme focused on analysing problems. defining the intervention necessary and filling methodological gaps, for example through the joint development with the World Bank of a monitoring and evaluation system for social forestry projects in India. Special attention was paid to income and employment opportunities for the rural poor.
Agro-silvo-pastoral development. About 45 percent of the deforestation of tropical forests and woodlands is caused by shifting and long-fallow agriculture. A study based on seven ease studies in six countries in the mountainous and lowland humid areas of East and West Africa the forestry aspects of alternatives and modifications to shifting cultivation and the contribution of forestry to the socio-economic development of concerned communities in tropical Africa. Within the agro-silvo-pastoral development sub-programme, emphasis has been given to the increasing use of reforestation for food, fruit and forage production. Some 200 monographs on selected forest food and fruit species from Brazil. the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania have been published. A study on the multiple-use management of mangrove ecosystems in Southeast Asia was carried out by the Kasetsart University in Thailand.
Fuelwood. Two in-depth reports analysing fuelwood problems and possible solutions were completed for the Sahelian region and the East African sub-region. More such detailed surveys will be undertaken in the future. In Asia and the Pacific, after completion of the Regional Survey of the Fuelwood Situation. action was concentrated on the identification and preparation of specific corrective actions. A Seminar on Fuelwood for Rural African Women was held in Lusaka. On the basis of ease studies from four countries with different types of forests, a manual will be produced for forestry extension services on the management of forests for fuelwood and charcoal production. A preliminary evaluation of the impact of the Wood-Burning Stove Programme was carried Out in October 1983.
C. Chandrasekharan Senior Forestry Planning Officer, FAO
European action on forestry development
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. expressing its "alarm" over large timber deficits. recommended to the Council of Ministers that member states take steps to remedy this situation in Western Europe. The Assembly also called upon member states to make similar efforts to assist developing countries in timber-deficit areas.
By giving such assistance to developing countries, the Assembly agreed, countries could foster genuine economic development in rural areas and promote the establishment of effective forestry administrations and forestry educational systems. Emphasis was placed upon the introduction of plans for timber-felling and forest preservation, particularly in water-catchment basins and in regions bordering deserts.
On European forests, the Assembly called for action in five areas: the afforestation of lands considered unsuitable for agriculture; a more economic use of residue timber products; the rational management of smaller holdings; the introduction of zoning policies to protect forests against urban and industrial encroachment; and the prevention of the dumping of timber products by certain exporting countries in Europe.
Finally, the Assembly called for action to meet the two most serious threats to European forests - acid rain and forest fires.
Red ants for biological protection of the forest
Red wood ants, the bane of Sunday picnickers, are shown in a new role - as guardians of the forest's biological equilibrium - in a recent article by C. Trossian and P. Humbert ("Les fourmis rousses des bois et leur rôle dans l'écosystème forestier'', Revue forestière française, No. 1. 1982).
These ants. which belong to the group Formica rufa, comprise eight species, all of which build nests in the form of a dome which may rise as high as two metres and be several metres in circumference. The largest colonies have up to a million individuals.
Trossian and Humbert point out that these wood ants constitute a fundamental element of the forest ecosystem and that comparative study of their biomass provides precious information on the state of health of the forests they inhabit. In addition to their role as indicators of forest degradation, they provide effective protection against certain pests. According to the Italian expert Pavan, they are able to consume so many insects that "during an active period of 200 days these ants can destroy at least 14 million kilograms of insects in the Italian Alpine region alone".
The article describes the organization of the ant nest, characterized by a system of well-differentiated castes. It also analyses the food habits of the ants and ends by describing the main outlines of a programme for artificial breeding of the colonies and its various stages: choice of the site (the biotope must be the same as that of the forest from which the population has been taken); choice of the season (start of the queen's annual biological cycle); choice of the colony to be divided; and, finally, construction of the new nest.
Italian and German foresters have fully realized the importance of these ants to the balance of the forest environments, for they move them in lorryloads from regions where they abound to those that lack them. In fact, Italian ants have even been expatriated to the distant forests of Quebec.
Fay Banoun Rome
The Wapa, Guyana's explosive tree
Belonging to several species of the botanic genus Eperua, the Wapa tree is well-formed and produces a reddish, heavy wood with a very straight grain. Nothing in its structure - apart from this straight grain - gives any indication of its predisposition to split to the point of bursting. "When attempts were made to fell them," write A. Mariaux and A. Vitalis-Brun (Bois et forêts des tropiques, No. 199. first quarter of 1983), certain trees practically burst apart at the point of contact with the chain-saw."
The fact that certain parts of the stems of broad-leaved breeds of Wapa lean heavily to one side or have an unbalanced crown and that these trees have abnormal or so-called "tension" wood, is well known. Less well known are the level and distribution of "constraints" in well-balanced standing trees, and the relationship between these and the presence of abnormal wood. Still less well known, it seems, is whether very strong constraints always indicate the presence of wood with characteristics different from those of normal wood.
Mariaux and Vitalis-Brun have extended their research to tropical forests, and have conducted trials in Guyana to study on the spot the distribution of constraints in the Wapa, and the factors leading to the bursting of certain trees during felling. This study is the joint work of a team of researchers from the Technical Group for Tropical Forestry; it describes the results of a series of tests carried out, both in the forest and in the laboratory, in order to discover the structural differences between normal wood and tension wood and to identify the possible implications of these for practical purposes.
If wood formed in a state of high tension shows no appreciable structural differences from normal wood, it could be thought that when constraints are removed, this wood would perform normally However, if, on the contrary, strong constraints on growth are in all cases linked to a particular structure, the stability of such wood, and therefore its use, could be seriously questioned.
To measure these constraints, one of the researchers tested a very simple apparatus whose results are apparently more reliable in a tropical forest environment that those obtained electronically. Nearly 100 samples have been collected in this way, and the deformations noted have been recorded by researchers in an exhaustive table.
Excellent photographs - taken with an electronic microscope and enlarged by from x 85 to x 4000 and developed in the Group's laboratory - of cross-sections of Wapa wood show up very strikingly the presence of cells with gelatinous walls, unstuck and creased. The conclusion is that this non-lignified wall is a feature of tension wood, and the researchers have been able to state that "without exception, to our knowledge, a very tense Wapa wood is a wood rich in gelatinous fibres".
Since neither felling nor sawing eliminates the abnormality, these explosive trees, so much dreaded by woodcutters, will always retain their own peculiarity. Far-reaching research will he necessary to define their qualities and discover the best way of using them.
GUYANA'S WAPA TREE sometimes it "explodes" during fellings (a)
GUYANA'S WAPA TREE sometimes it "explodes" during fellings (b)
