‘Social forestry plans conservative’

Their suggestions,if implemented,could chart a new course in social forestry in Gujarat.

The concept of social forestry — the planting of trees in non-forest areas to increase tree cover and provide resources — is said to have begun in the late 1960s in Gujarat. By 2009,4.28 per cent of the non-forest areas in Gujarat was said to have been under tree cover. The number is significant because barely 10 per cent of Gujarat is forest area.

“We have been successful in increasing fodder and small timber. But we have been less successful in fodder because we were conservative,and we did not want to provide fodder to farmers and villagers. It is in spite of this that animal husbandry and the dairy sector have been growing,” said Khanna at the seminar,one aim of which is to plan for industrial growth while sustaining tree cover.

Khanna also said forest departments across different states should try to contribute to the production of forest resources,since forest resources like timber and pulp remain the second biggest component of India’s imports after oil and petroleum products.

“With growth,there is more and more consumption. One example is more and more furniture shops we see opening in our cities. We must contribute to this sector indigenously,because there is no reason to suppose the countries we export these from would not run out of such resources. And it would also help us bring down import expenditure.”

Nanda seconded Khanna’s view,saying the utilities of trees are many: “food,fuel,medicine,religion and to mitigate climate change”.

“We must consider what Khanna said,in terms of contributing more resources so the imports can come down. But the first priority should be to help the people living on the forests fringes,” Nanda said.