Introduction to Forestry
Presented by: Dr. Brijpal Singh Rajawat
What is Forest
• A forest is an area of land dominated by
trees.
• Forest (as defined in Indian forest act,
1927) is an area occupied by the
Government and management of
biological and ecological resources is
called a forest.
Forestry
• Forestry is defined as the theory
and practice of all that
constitutes the creation,
conservation and scientific
management of forests and the
utilization of their resources.
Based on objectives, forestry is
classified as under
• Protection forestry
• Commercial forestry
• Social forestry
Farm forestry
Extension forestry
Reforestation on degraded forest
• Recreational forestry
Concept of Social forestry
• The word Social forestry was coined by Westoby and
used in the Ninth Commonwealth Forestry Congress in
1968. According to Prasad (1985) “Forestry outside the
conventional forests which primarily aims at providing
continuous flow of goods and services for the benefit
of people. This definition implies that the production of
forest goods for the needs of the local people is Social
forestry. Thus, social forestry aims at growing forests of
the choice of the local population.
• Shah (1985) stated that Conceptually Social forestry
deals with poor people to produce goods such as fuel,
fodder etc. to meet the needs of the local community
particularly underprivileged section.
Objectives of Social forestry
The objectives of Social forestry adopted by the
Commission ( 1976) were based on the economic
needs of the community aimed at improving the
conditions of living.
The main objectives are
• Fuel wood supply to the rural area and replacement of
cowdung
• Small timber supply
• Fodder supply
• Protection of agricultural fields against wind and
recreational needs
1. Farm Forestry
• Farm forestry is the name given to
programmes which promote commercial
tree growing by farmers on their own
land.
• Farm forestry was defined by NCA (
1976) as the practice of forestry in all its
aspects in and the around the farms or
village lands integrated with other farm
operations.
2. Extension Forestry
Extension Forestry
Extension forestry is the practice of forestry in areas devoid of tree
growth and other vegetation situated in places away from the
conventional forest areas with the object of increasing the area under tree
growth .
It includes the following.
i) Mixed forestry
• Mixed forestry is the practice of forestry for raising fodder grass with
scattered fodder trees, fruit trees and fuel wood trees on suitable
wastelands, panchayat lands and village commons.
ii) Shelterbelts
• Shelterbelt is defined as a belt of trees and or shrubs maintained for the
purpose of shelter from wind, sun, snow drift, etc.
iii) Linear Strip plantations
• These are the plantations of fast growing species on linear strips of
land.
3. Rehabilitation of Degraded forests
• The degraded area under forests needs
immediate attention for ecological restoration and
for meeting the socio economic needs of the
communities living in and around such areas.
4. Recreation Forestry
• Recreation forestry is the practice of forestry
with the object of raising flowering trees and shrubs
mainly to serve as recreation forests for the urban
and rural population. This type of forestry is also
known as Aesthetic forestry which is defined as the
practice of forestry with the object of developing or
maintaining a forest of high scenic value.
Benefits of Social forestry
– Increase the supply of fuel wood and fodder
– Generate rural employment
– Maintain ecological balance
– Appropriate use of wastelands
– Promote village and cottage industries
– Induce environmental and tree consciousness
among people
– Relieve pressures from natural forests
- Stabilize agricultural production
What is Agroforestry
• Agroforestry is any sustainable land use
system that maintains or increases total
yields by combining food crops with tree
crops and/or livestock on the same unit of
land, either alternately or at the same
time, using management practices that
suit the social and cultural characteristics
of the local people and the economics
and ecological conditions of the area. It
consists of both ecological and
economical interactions between the
various components.
• King and Chandler (1978): “Agroforestry is a sustainable land management system which
increases the overall yield of the land, combines the production of crops (including tree crops)
and forest plants and/or animals simultaneously or sequentially, on the same unit of land and
applies management practices that are compatible with the cultural practices of the local
population.
• Bene et al. (1977) defined agroforestry as a sustainable management system for land
that increases overall production, combines agriculture crops, forest plants and tree crop and/or
animals simultaneously or sequentially and applies management practices that are compatible
with the cultural patterns of a local population.
• Nair (1979) defines agroforestry as a land use system that integrates trees, crops and animals in
a way that is scientifically sound, ecologically desirable, practically feasible and socially
acceptable to the farmers.
• According to Lundgren and Raintree (1982), agroforestry is a collective name for land use
systems and technologies, where woody perennials (trees, shrubs, palm bamboos, etc.) are
deliberately used in the same piece of land management units as agriculture crops and/or
animals in some form of spatial arrangement or temporal sequence. In agroforestry systems,
there are both ecological and economical interactions between the different components.
Features of Agro-forestry
• It is deliberate growing of woody perennials on the same unit of land as agricultural crops
and/or animals either in some form of spatial mixture or in sequence.
• There must be significant interaction (positive/negative) between the woody and non- woody
components of the system either ecological and/or economical.
• This is a production system which tends to harmonize the production of various components
and also maximizes the total production from a given unit of land.
• The production and use is sustainable and makes use of modern technologies and traditional
local experience and is compatible with the social and cultural lives of the local people.
• It is a long-term land management system and the cycle of agroforestry system is
• always more than one year.
• Agroforestry is a more complex form of land management both ecologically and
economically than other agricultural or forestry systems.
Attribute of Agroforestry
Limitations of Agroforestry
Benefits of Agro-forestry
Thank You
