Land Evaluation for Forestry
The main goal of these guidelines is to provide procedures for conducting land evaluation with particular reference to forestry. The purpose of land evaluation for forestry is to assist decision-making in respect of which land to keep under forests, and choosing between different types of forestry and uses of forests.
Chapter 1 explains the nature and purposes of land evaluation for forestry. As compared to crop- or livestock-based land uses, forestry has a number of distinctive features, with important consequences for land evaluation: long time scale, multiple uses and values of forest land, different levels of management intensity, and conservation function.
Chapter 2 explains the principles and basic concepts underlying land evaluation and its terminology. This chapter basically follows the key concepts ( land utilization types, land characteristics and qualities, land use system, land suitability classification) and principles of the Framework for Land Evaluation (FLE) ( matching the requirements of the land use against the qualities of the land, comparing alternative sustainable uses, and multidisciplinary approach) .
Chapter 3 presents an outline of the stages and procedures involved in a land evaluation survey for forestry uses and a flowchart of the successive steps. Chapters 4 to 11 describe each of the succesive stages and procedures.
Chapter 4 deals with the planning stage of the evaluation, which involves clarification and formulation of objectives, discussion of proposed solutions, identification of constraints, available data and assumptions. The planning stage also requires reviewing the context of the study area in its physical, economic and social conditions, and developing the specifications of the survey and the program of work.
Chapter 5 provides guidelines for the selection, description and eventual modification of relevant land utilization types (LUTs). Selection is based on the basis of policy objectives and physical, social and economic context of the area. Modification of initially identified LUTs may be considered by means of land improvements or modifying the forestry management specifications, in which case suitabilities for the modified LUTs will require revision. Examples of forestry LUT descriptions are provided.
Chapter 6 discusses the growth, management and conservation requirements of specific forest LUTs for wood production, non-timber forest products , environmental protection (soil, water, flora and fauna), and for recreational use and tourism.
Chapter 7 deals with the specifics of the land resource surveys and specialized studies required for the objectives of the land evaluation. It discusses the choice of land units, including those required for multi-purpose forestry, as well as scale, intensity and thematic areas of the land resource surveys. The most distinctive feature of forest land evaluation, as compared to surveys for agricultural land use, is the greater role of surveys of the existing forest vegetation. Therefore special attention is given to the estimation of forest volume growth and yield and predicting the latter from site characteristics. The chapter discusses the relative merits of using either land characteristics or land qualities in the evaluation, indicating preference for integrating the former into land qualities, and provides lists of land qualities and land characteristics to be used for measuring/estimating the qualities.
Chapter 8 explains procedures for matching forest land uses with land qualities and characteristics through the land suitability classification process. Steps involve deciding on which factor ratings/critical values to use for a particular LUT, setting of the factor ratings for estimating forest volume, growth, yield, and conservation purposes, develop the land suitability ratings for the relevant land qualities, and combine the latter into an overall land suitability classification.
Chapter 9 discusses the role of environmental impact analysis in terms of probable consequences of land use change considering the positive or negative effects on erosion, sedimentation, water flow regime, microclimate, vegetation, wildlife and fusheries, and provides a description format.
Chapter 10 outlines the role of economic and social analysis in land evaluation is outlined . Approaches can be either two-stage, in which economic and social analysis follows a qualitative biophysical analysis, or parallel. Analysis for land suitability classification in economic terms is treated in some detail. The social analysis section is restricted to a brief treatment of some social aspects of forest land use, and a listing of the methods of social data collection and factors to be considered in assessing the social consequences of land use alternatives.
Chapter 11 gives some tips on how to convert the provisional land suitability classification, obtained through the matching procedure, into a final one. Suggested alternatives are successive elimination and relative comparison.
Chapter 12 provides some guidelines for writing the report and for use of the results in land use planning.
For reference purposes a glossary of technical terms used in land evaluation is provided.