Financial evaluation of smallholder timber-based agroforestry systems in Claveria, Northern Mindanao, the Philippines

In the Philippines, timber production on small farms has become profitable as a result of reduced supplies due to extensive deforestation and increasing demand. In the early 1990s, when the price of timber was high, farmers were promised huge returns from tree farming. However, widespread planting of few species has led to oversupply and a sharp decline in the price of farm-grown timber. Moreover, low intercrop yields as a result of competition from fast-growing trees and low timber yields due to poor tree management, further reduce net economic returns. In spite of this, interest in tree farming remains high. This paper examines the private profitability of two tree-maize systems, namely trees in blocks and trees in hedgerows, compared with the alternative of maize monocropping. The analysis reveals that maize monocropping provides higher returns to land at the current timber price, but considerably lower returns to labour, than the maize-tree systems tested. This suggests that tree farming is a more attractive option for labour and capital-constrained households or those with off-farm opportunities that compete for their labour. These farmers may raise productivity and income by planting trees on the excess land that cannot be devoted to annual crops. The analysis also indicates that wide-spaced tree hedgerows are superior to tree blocks, due to lower establishment and management costs, longer periods of viable intercropping and more rapid tree growth.     

Relationship between farm size and reforestation activity: evidence from Queensland studies

This paper reviews the findings of nine studies carried out over about the last decade by a forestry socio-economic research group in Queensland, Australia. On the basis of survey evidence and landholder typology research, the questions of who plants trees and for what reasons are addressed, and inferences are drawn about the impact of land fragmentation on farm forestry. It is concluded that forestry is less popular on the larger and commercially viable farms than on smaller holdings of similar land type, and plantation establishment is often supported by off-farm income, so that farm fragmentation may actually lead to increased tree planting. However, whether this would lead to increased timber production is less clear, because of the strong interest of people on small holdings in environmental plantings and because of difficulties in marketing small quantities of the variable quality timber from mixed-species plantings. Also, the quality of silviculture appears to be positively correlated with area planted. Some implications are drawn for land-use policy.     

论云南造林树种选择的态势

可持续发展战略的推进，非木材林产品的开发，退化地的恢复，生态经济型防护林的营造，对人工林退化问题的新认识，这些都是现代林业发展对造林树种选择提出的新要求。云南具有环境的多样性和丰富的树种资源，为造林树种的选择提供了有利条件。为丰富云南的造林树种，需要在开发乡土树种，加速引种工作，发展珍贵用材树种以及开发树木新用途等方面作出努力。对今后工作提出了建议。     

Tree Species Diversity in Community Managed and National Park Forests in the Mid-Hills of Central Nepal

Community forestry is expanding in developing countries but there is limited knowledge of, and contradictory findings about, its contribution to biodiversity conservation. This study aims at increasing the understanding of tree species diversity in community forests compared to National Parks. A forest inventory was carried out in four community forests and one National Park in the mid-hills of central Nepal. The study found that community forestry has contributed to high tree species diversity where forest management communities have interests in multiple species, but most community forests are moving toward promoting limited timber yielding species that have high economic value. Linking community forestry with economic incentives for conserving multiple tree species could therefore be a strategy to conserve biodiversity outside of protected areas.     

Private native forestry in new landscapes: challenges and opportunities in New South Wales

Understanding the changes occurring within the forestry sector is complicated by socio-economic and demographic changes within rural communities - sometimes in areas where commercial forestry has a long tradition. These changes in some rural communities, particularly coastal New South Wales, appear significant for forestry because land ownership and management are increasingly disconnected from the traditional agricultural land use. There is an increasing population of landowners in ‘lifestyle’ landscapes who do not appear primarily driven by maximising the profitability of farming. The shift from ‘production’ to ‘lifestyle’ landscapes also reflects a transition in community expectations for forestry - a profound change that is likely to require quite different approaches to management. Landholders may be more likely to be interested in forestry with multiple values, including both timber products and environmental services. Furthermore, well-managed native forests that are integrated into individual properties and wider landscapes, may increase the market value of the property, representing a prudent business investment. This paper presents a method for analysing the relationship between rural land values and the estimated agricultural value of typical farms in a number of localities in New South Wales, as a means of interpreting the underlying social values of landholders. It is argued that such analysis can be helpful in identifying changes in community values as a signal that approaches to private native forestry may also need to change to accommodate the aspirations of ‘lifestyle’ landholders, who may value the aesthetics of native forests more highly than timber production.     

Foresters' beliefs about farmers: a priority for social science research in social forestry

This study suggests that one of the most productive (and most neglected) uses of social science research in forestry development projects is to examine foresters' beliefs regarding rural peoples. This suggestion is illustrated with data from the Forestry Planning and Development Project, Pakistan's first nation-wide social forestry project.The operational component of this project, intended to assist small farmers to cultivate trees on their farmlands, ran into immediate difficulties. Many of the foresters involved insisted that small farmers were simply not interested in tree cultivation. A comprehensive base-line study subsequently was carried out to examine the validity of this belief. The results of this study (confirmed by the subsequent experience with the project in the field) varied markedly from the foresters' beliefs.While many of the foresters believed small farmers were opposed to having trees on their farms and would not agree to plant trees under the project, most farmers already had trees on their farms and expressed interest in planting more; while many foresters believed farmers would only be interested in planting large blocks of market-oriented exotics, most farmers requested small plantings of multi-purpose native trees; while many foresters believed farmers would plant trees only for market sale, most farmers requested trees to meet household needs for fuel and timber; and while many foresters did not think that increasing supplies of fuelwood could reduce the burning of dung, all of the evidence provided by the farmers suggested that it would.The disparity between farmer reality and forester belief is attributed to failures on the part of both foresters and social scientists — failure by foresters to distinguish their non-empirical beliefs about farmers from their empirically-based knowledge of trees, and failure by social scientists to recognize the belief systems of foresters as a legitimate and important object of study. Their study comprises three parts: finding out what the foresters think the farmers want, finding out from the farmers what they actually want, and then analyzing and explaining the differences.     

Traditional agroforestry practices in Zimbabwe

Traditional agroforestry systems in the communal areas of Zimbabwe are described. There are systems centered on main fields, on home gardens, on homesites and on grazing areas. In the main fields, the major tree-related management practice is the conservation of preferred indigenous fruit trees. Fruit trees are also the focus of forestry activities around the gardens and the homesite; but here it is the planting of exotic species. In a localized area of Zimbabwe Acacia albida is important in fields. There is almost no use of tree fallows in Zimbabwe. Trees in grazing areas have numerous roles, but at present there is little knowledge about traditional management practices in these areas. In the development of agroforestry systems in Zimbabwe it is suggested that those systems designed to improve fodder production will make a significant contribution to farm productivity because of the importance of cattle in the farming system and the present fodder shortage. Interventions involving the planting of fruit trees are likely to be very successful, as there is much interest in such planting. Another area that needs to be developed is that of tree plantings to improve soil fertility.     

The tree planting and protecting culture of cattle ranchers and small-scale agriculturalists in rural Panama: Opportunities for reforestation and land restoration

To examine the opportunities available for designing diverse tree planting and land restoration initiatives in agricultural landscapes that contain tropical dry forests, the tree planting and protecting practices of cattle ranchers and small-scale agriculturalists were examined in two study sites in rural Panama. Ninety-nine tree species were identified that they utilize, plant, or protect on their land, the majority of which are native to Panama. The farmers had diverse reasons for maintaining trees, including improving the environment, providing food and shade for cattle, and generating a source of wood for construction, furniture, and firewood. Most of the trees mentioned in the study provide multiple uses and values and the majority of farmers wanted to plant additional trees. Some differences in species preferences and motivations for planting and protecting trees were seen between sites, thereby suggesting that land restoration and tree planting projects should be site specific. Our data indicate that there are ample opportunities to increase native tree cover in our study sites and highlight the need to incorporate farmer input into project design, implementation, and evaluation as a necessary and continuous feature throughout projects.     

Farm Forestry Prospects Among Some Local Communities in Rachuonyo District,Kenya

Deforestation and degradation of productive lands are serious threats to the sustainability of forestry/agricultural practices in Kenya. In the last two decades farm forestry (FF) has been promoted through pilot projects among local communities as an example of sustainable land use. However adoption of FF is limited outside the project locations because FF improvement measures focused mainly on biological (e.g. succession, biodiversity and traditional industrial timber production) and technical concerns (e.g. material input delivery such as providing free tree seedlings for field planting) rather than local values, and interests and the constraints facing farmers. This study examined the local farm priorities and constraints and the prospects for the wider implementation of farm-level tree planting in four communities in Rachuonyo District. Using interviews with 597 randomly selected household heads, the study assessed farmer’s production assets and activities, land tenure, priority tree species and the constraints to growing trees on farms. Results show that farm labour is represented by a young population, 56.3% under the age of forty. They are mainly engaged in small-scale mixed cropping integrated with multipurpose trees and some livestock. Tree products contribute about 32% to household cash income, more than any other source (agricultural products, labour sales, etc). Females were more often household heads and had considerable influence over productive activities, making them an important target group in FF development. Farmers preferred exotic tree species due to their ability to provide short-term cash income, fuel and shade. Farmers’ concerns included population pressure on limited farmlands and the problem of credit for agricultural inputs. Given the feeling of secured tenure arrangement and influence of tree products on the household economy, farmers are likely to invest more in efficient land uses such as FF if consideration is given to local priorities.     

Improving adoptability of farm forestry in the Philippine uplands: a linear programming model

In the Philippines, smallholder farmers have become major timber producers. But the systems of timber production practiced have several limitations. In intercropping systems, the practice of severe branch and/or root pruning reduces tree-crop competition and increases annual crop yields, but is detrimental to tree growth and incompatible with commercial timber production. In even-aged woodlots, lack of regular income and poor tree growth, resulting from farmers’ reluctance to thin their plantations, are major constraints to adoption and profitable tree farming. In the municipality of Claveria, Misamis Oriental, the recent practice of planting trees on widely spaced (6–8 m) contour grass strips established for soil conservation suggests ways to improve the adoptability (i.e., profitability, feasibility and acceptability) of timber-based agroforestry systems. Assuming that financial benefits are the main objective of timber tree farmers, we develop a simple linear programming (LP) model for the optimal allocation of land to monocropping and tree intercropping that maximizes the net present value of an infinite number of rotations and satisfies farmers’ resource constraints and regular income requirements. The application of the LP model to an average farmer in Claveria showed that cumulative additions of widely spaced tree hedgerows provides higher returns to land, and reduce the risk of agroforestry adoption by spreading over the years labour and capital investment costs and the economic benefits accruing to farmers from trees. Therefore, incremental planting of widely spaced tree hedgerows can make farm forestry more adoptable and thus benefit a larger number of resource-constrained farmers in their evolution towards more diverse and productive agroforestry systems.     

榆林沙区农林复合经营的主要模式

榆林沙区农林复合经营的主要模式有：沙地综合治理模式、荒漠化土地立体开发模式、风沙滩地区区农林复合经营模式、滩地混农林业模式、沙区果园立体种植模式、庭院农林复合经营模式等。     

句容低山丘陵秃杉引种试验

本场引种珍稀树种秃杉７年的试验结果表明，秃杉能适应本地生长，并以杉木适生的优良立地载植较为适宜。采用２年生无务健壮大苗深栽、壅土保墒、合理混交、适度遮萌等措施可使造林成活率达９０％以上，５年生幼树生长量达到或超过杉木，具有扩大引种的潜力。     

Socio-economic determinants of smallholder plantation sizes in Ghana and options to encourage reforestation

Reforestation, particularly in the tropics, is of crucial importance for the environment as well as society. However, small planting areas and low participation of smallholder farmers in tree planting programmes often obstruct realisation of set planting area targets. In this regard, we interviewed smallholder farmers undertaking indigenous species reforestation in Oda Kotoamso community within the Wassa Amenfi West District in Western Region of Ghana with a pre-tested questionnaire to identify (1) key socio-economic factors that predict the size of plantations they establish, (2) options that could encourage tree planting among smallholder farmers, and (3) tree species planted by the smallholder farmers and their conservation status according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Key socio-economic factors were predicted with multiple regression models and ANOVA. Options were ranked on a five-point Likert scale and their differences were tested with the Mann–Whitney U test. Age and income of smallholders are the significant predictors of plantation sizes but farmers’ household size and gender were not significant. Age and income accounted for 77.1% and 22.9%, respectively, of the total variation described by our model (R?² = 38.4%). In order of importance, incentives (mean = 4.35, SD = 0.48), public nurseries (mean = 4.2, SD = 0.82) and agroforestry (mean = 4.06, SD = 0.56) were the options that could encourage reforestation, though incentives and public nurseries were not significantly different (p > 0.05). Almost half (9 of 19) of the tree species planted are categorised as Vulnerable species, which highlights the contribution of smallholder farmers to recovery of threatened tree species. Our findings suggest that sustainable provision of planting materials in incentivised and youth-based tree planting programmes could increase planting hectarage and conserve threatened tree species.     

Farm and Village Forest Use Practice in Ekiti State: Analysis of Government Policy and Tenure Issues

This study analyzed the influence of government policy and tenure issues on farm and village forest use practices in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Three rural communities that were still far from urban influence were selected from each of the 16 local government areas of the state. In each community, 20 household heads were selected and interviewed with the aid of a semi-structured matrix. The interviews aimed at the determination of respondents' socioeconomic status, awareness and belief in the effectiveness or otherwise of the forest laws and regulations, land use, tenure and property rights. Results obtained revealed that the awareness of forest laws and regulations cut across the socio-economic categories. Most of these laws and regulations that were considered to be necessary could also constitute disincentives to sustainable forest development. Three types of land tenure niches—private holdings, commons, and government reserves—exist in the state. These led to land fragmentations in which individuals are now left with small holdings. Individuals with small and medium landholdings found it difficult to invest in tree planting; hence, they meet their subsistence use of wood and non-wood forest products from diverse sources. Individuals with large landholdings were found cultivating cash tree crops; timber species were not cultivated though their wildlings were preserved. Also, when land is let or leased out, tenants were not allowed to invest in tree planting on such land.     

Tree planting in Tigray, Ethiopia: the importance of human disease and water microdams

We examine the decision to plant trees and level of tree planting for two sites, public microdam areas and household agricultural land, and two species groups in Tigray, Ethiopia. Both sites are not perfect substitutes, as they vary with respect to distance from the household and tenure security. The role of permanent pooled water irrigation microdams to tree planting is important but unknown, because water borne diseases, which may influence household income and productivity, are thought to be enhanced by the dams. We find both disease and microdams to be important predictors to tree planting. Disease seems more important in determining whether households plant at all, and less important in the level of planting for those that do plant. For example, disease increases the probability of planting both eucalyptus and other species groups on household-own land, but households suffering from malaria plant higher-cost eucalyptus trees with lower probability at both sites, while planting of other lower-cost species increases at dam sites where other villagers can monitor the trees. We also establish a connection between planting and agricultural residues, finding a strong substitution effect on own-land. Microdam access and age are also important. Households living nearer to dam sites will plant both species groups there with higher probabilities, but the decision to plant on agricultural own-land is not affected. For older dams with more developed irrigation, households are more likely to grow crops rather than plant trees on their own land, but they plant more trees at the dam sites. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Farmers’ Motivations to Plant and Manage On-Farm Trees in Ghana

Deforestation and forest degradation, especially in the agricultural landscapes, are serious threats to biodiversity conservation and sustainability of the timber industry. Planting trees on farms has been identified as having great potential to increase forest resources from agricultural landscapes. This paper examined farmers’ motivations and behaviour to engage in on-farm tree planting and management in Ghana by combining internal and external factors in a socio-psychological model. Data were collected from 156 smallholder farmers from five communities in two forest districts using a semi-structured questionnaire. Additional farm inventory data were collected from 33 farmers under two on-farm tree planting schemes. On-farm tree planting was perceived as providing income, access to personal timber for furniture, and access to loan facilities. Incentives such as provision of grants, farming inputs, capacity training, and access to markets for agricultural produce are factors that motivate on-farm tree planting in Ghana. The average standing volume of on-farm trees in the study area is 51.9 m³/ha which is almost twice the national average for the off-reserve areas in the semi-deciduous forests to which much of the study sites belong. Many farmers considered high financial costs and limited knowledge of appropriate techniques in managing planted on-farm trees as barriers to the development of tree stock on farms.     

栽杉留阔模式群落区系特征研究

通过标准地调查 ,研究 2 9年生栽杉留阔模式及杉木纯林 (对照 )群落区系特征 ,结果表明 :栽杉留阔模式群落植物属和种组成数量 (10 2属、138种 )均大大超过杉木纯林群落 (87属、10 8种 ) ,具有生物多样性和更强的水土保持功能。其区系特征与杉木纯林相比有较大不同 ,群落间的相似性较小。栽杉留阔模式群落乔木层中落叶阔叶树种具有较大的重要值。栽杉留阔模式群落草本层以阳性种类为主 ,未发现观音座莲 ,而观音座莲是杉木纯林的指示植物。 2个群落种子植物属的分布区类型都是以热带成分为主 ,栽杉留阔模式群落属的热带分布比例小于杉木纯林     

Practice and Use of Tree Species in Urban Forestry in Thailand

1 INTRODUCTIONUrban forestry can be viewed as a specialized branchof forestry, which deals with the science and art ofplanting, implementing the greenery in and around urbanand populated area. It includes tree planting in temples,offices, schools, hospitals, homesteads, highways orroads between towns or cities as well as public parksand recreational parks so that it contributes directlyand indirectly to the physical, physiological, sociologicaland economic well being of the communitiesconc…     

Practical Application of Participatory Approach in Land Conversion Project Planning: A Case in Quxian County, Sichuan Province

Application of participatory approaches in governmental forestry projects is a bran-new forestry design method. The purpose is to plan the utilization of land correctly, and to determine planting sites, planting species, participating households and management models, based on the projects' requirements and the farmers' demands. Participatory approaches are now practiced in some of the counties in Land Conversion Project. The paper presents the significance and necessity of practicing community mechanism and participatory approach in governmental forestry projects. The author consider that in case the participatory approach of community forestry is widely applied in the governmental forestry projects and activities, the enthusiasm of rural communities and farmers to plant and to protect forest will be inspired, and it is an undoubted drive to sustainable utilization of forest resources. The author also discusses the possibility of applying participatory approaches in the planning stage of Land Conversio