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Wood and non wood forest products

The tree production system in and around cities is complex: it is a mosaic of agroforestry systems, street trees, hedgerows, gardens, orchards, forests, recreational parks and isolated trees. Not only that poor people can benefit from the products harvested for their household consumption (food, medication, non wood forest products, fuelwood) but the proximity to the markets becomes a significant factor for their profitability. Where families, neighbourhoods, periurban farmers and producers associations can access and sustainably maintain the productive capacity of the land, in private or collective manner, the selling of the products will bring auxiliary incomes. The smallholders mastering intensive and high economic value systems may generate high income. Associated to urban agriculture, leguminous trees and shrubs will benefit livestock. Private and institutional enterprises can get incomes from the sale (e.g. handcraft and woodfuel) of the products or recycling of the waste coming from the maintenance of the urban trees (e.g. street trees, recreational parks and green areas); they also get savings by using these products such as fuelwood for industrial energy. Ecotourism activities generate substantial revenues and employment.

The challenge for the green healthy city is to maintain an optimum cover responding at the same time to the environmental, economical and social needs of people. It relies on the art of combining spatial distribution, land security, restoration and rehabilitation of tree-systems, good practices, people participation and good governance in a very competitive environment. The rural of today may be the urban of tomorrow – let keep them green.

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