Subject: SYLVANET Vol.8(2), July 1994

From: "SYLVANET PUBLIC TERMINAL" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 25 Jul 1994 16:31:50 -0400

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                          VOL.8, NO.2, JULY 1994

                   A publication of the International Programs,
           College of Forest Resources, North Carolina State University

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 IN THIS ISSUE:

 Irish Forestry
 Broadleaf Forest Management in Honduras
 Mahogany, the great tree
 New medicine for mahogany shoot borer
 RWANDA!
 Letters to Sylvanet
 Publications, courses, conferences, etcetera...
 Best wishes to Dennis and Tom
 AND... The Distinguished Tropical Forester of 1994 is Dr. Dvorak!
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                             A COUNTRY PROFILE: FORESTRY IN IRELAND

                                      by Maarten Nieuwenhuis

    HISTORIC BACKGROUND 

In the past, due to the suitability of the environment for their
growth, forests
comprised the natural vegetation over much of Ireland. As human settlement and
agriculture expanded, mainly broadleaf forests of birch, oak, elm, alder, and
hazel gradually gave way to farmland. Commercial exploitation for lumber,
charcoal and tanbark accelerated forest clearance.

By 1904, when the Forest Service was founded (then known as the Forestry Division
of the Department of Agriculture), the total area under forest (in the 26
counties) was just over 100,000 hectares, all of which was in private hands. In
1948, under a new forest plan, planting target was set at 10,000 ha annually for
40 years, resulting in a state-owned forest estate of 470,000 ha.

State aid for private planting was available from 1928, but there were few
takers. During the period from 1930 to 1960 fewer than 90 ha per year were
planted, while from 1960 to 1980 the annual rate of planting
never exceeded 275 ha.

In 1988, Coillte Teoranta, the Irish Forestry Board, was established.
Coillte Teoranta's main objective is to carry out the business of
forestry and related activities on a commercial basis. It took over
almost all of the assets of the Forest Service, but the Forest Service
remains as the national forest authority.

In 1990, two European Union (EU) grant programs were launched, with a significant
impact on forestry in Ireland. The Forest Premium for Farmers Scheme provides
annual payments during the first 20 years after planting. The Operational
Programme provides funds for such activities as afforestation, construction and
maintenance of forest roads, improvement of woodland, and efficiency in forest
harvesting.

    THE PRESENT SITUATION 

Seventy-five percent of the forest is state-owned. The low level of private
ownership contrasts with most other countries in the EU, for which the average
private ownership is 48%. The total forest area in Ireland represents almost 7%
of the total land area. In contrast, Germany has 28%, while France has 25% of the
area under forest.

The dominant species in Irish forests is Sitka spruce. Broadleaf
species account for only 3% of the total state forest area. Over 26%
of state forests are less than 12 years of age, while over 52% are
less than 20 years old. The growth rate of trees in this country is
much higher than that in other EU countries. The moist oceanic climate
is particularly conducive to rapid growth for Sitka spruce.
The present average yield for this species is 16.5 m3 per hectare per
annum. Both Norway spruce and Douglas fir have similar growth rates.
Yields as high as 32 m3 per hectare per annum have been recorded for
Sitka spruce in County Leitrum.

 The national forest estate is expanding at its greatest rate ever. In 1990, over
 20,000 hectares were planted and for the first time, the rate of planting by the
 private sector is greater than that carried out by the public sector. In 1994,
 new forestry grants have been introduced, with an emphasis on species diversity,
 broadleaf forestry, and afforestation of better land.

    FOREST HARVESTING 

 Harvest volumes are increasing very rapidly. In 1990 1.4 million m3 was harvested
 from Coillte forests. In 1993 this had increased to 1.8 million m3, and for 2010,
 the predicted volume is 3.5 million m3. In addition, the volumes harvested from
 private forests will start to increase rapidly when the large areas planted in
 the last 15 years move into the thinning and clearfelling stages.

 It is estimated that around 1,000 people are employed in harvesting and
 transportation. The unavailability of chainsaw cutters in many parts of the
 country has made it necessary to introduce mechanical harvesters and processors.
 Most of skidders, forwarders, cable systems and timber trucks are imported, but
 a small Irish forest machinery industry has developed in the last few years.

    THE FOREST INDUSTRY 

 The forest industry in Ireland was once totally dependent on imported timber. Yet
 by 1989, it became totally self-sufficient in fencing and pallet material, and
 50% self- sufficient in structural timber.

 At present, there are approximately 100 sawmills and 2 pulpwood
 industries in operation. The sawmills are located throughout the
 country and vary considerably in size and output. They use over 1
 million m3 on an annual basis. Further expansion will increase this to
 2 million m3 by the year 2000. The 10 largest mills satisfy over 90%
 of the total annual consumption. An upcoming industry-wide
 reorganisation will result in smaller number of high capacity mills,
 capable of competition on the international markets.

 Two pulpwood industries are in operation. One is based in Clonmel,
 Co. Tipperary, producing Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) and
 processing 400,000 m3 annually and expanding to 600,000 m3 in 1995.
 The other, in Scariff, Co. Clare, produces chip-board and processes
 around 250,000 m3  annually. Of the MDF production, 95% is exported.
 Fifty percent of the chipboard is also exported. A third wood
 processing industry, producing Oriented Strand Board (OSB), is being
 established in Waterford with a capacity of 600,000 m3.

 Another important user of Irish timber is the public utilities indus-try. Large
 numbers of utility poles are needed annually, and a significant number of these
 are supplied by the Irish forests. At the moment only Douglas fir and Larch
 species are used, but Sitka spruce should be accepted in the near future,
 allowing for a further increase of the use of home-grown timber.

 Total employment in the wood processing industry, including distribution and
 services, is estimated at around 4,300. This is expected to increase to 5,700
 during the next few years.

  SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS 

 Forest development may interfere with social structures in rural areas, such as
 asset and land ownership, employer/employee relationships, and isolation of farms
 and people. A partial solution to these problems is co-operative forestry.
 Co-operative forestry offers many advantages to those farmers who have small
 areas of land that they want to afforest, as it allows them to do so and still
 retain ownership of their land. It groups forest land available on adjacent farms
 into viable units.

 Recently developed guidelines emphasise broadleaf species and species diversity.
 Research is underway in the areas of timber transport planning and transport
 systems. The aim is to reduce the cost of transportation and minimise the
 associated environmental impacts.

    THE FUTURE 

 It is expected that by the year 2000 a further 3% of the land area of Ireland
 will be under forest. Even greater emphasis will be given to species diversity
 and afforestation of better quality land. The expansion will have a major impact
 on the contribution of forestry to the national economy, on rural development and
 employment, and on the landscape.

 M. Nieuwenhuis, a native of Holland, received his Ph.D. in Forestry at the
 University of Maine. He lectures in Forest Engineering at the
 University College in Dublin, Ireland, since 1987.

                                   BROADLEAF FOREST MANAGEMENT
                                            IN HONDURAS

                                       by Dennis F. Desmond

 Recent M.S. graduate from NCSU's Department of Forestry, Dennis F. Desmond, talked at a meeting of the Raleigh
 Chapter of the International Society of Tropical Foresters about his three-week consultancy in April, 1993 with
 the Rainforest Alliance. The following is a summary of his presentation.

    BACKGROUND 

 Forty seven percent of the almost 5 million hectares of forest land in Honduras
 is a mixed broadleaf forest. Found along the foothills of the Caribbean coast and
 in the eastern Mosquitia region, it is being lost at an estimated rate of 64,500
 hectares per year.

 The primary cause of deforestation is land conversion to shifting cultivation and
 cattle pasture. Previous high-grading for mahogany and other selectively-cut
 species reduced the value of the remaining forest. Current forest loss due to
 commercial logging is relatively minor.

 Until 1992 Honduran forestry laws promoted deforestation. Trees on public and
 private lands belonged to the state, and there was no incentive for individuals
 to plant or manage trees. Timber cutters applied for permits from COHDEFOR,
 Honduras' forest service. COHDEFOR received a stumpage tax from the permit
 holders. A large part of COHDEFOR's budget was derived from this tax, providing
 a strong incentive to award permits to all applicants. In isolated broadleaf
 stands, COHDEFOR had little control over diameter limits, leaving of seed trees,
 and the moratorium period on cutting of mahogany during its flowering and
 fruiting season.

 In 1993, the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank made changes in
 Honduras' forestry laws a precondition for $120 million in loans. Under the new
 laws, tree tenure has been transferred to the landowners, who must develop forest
 management plans (FMP). A bidding system, similar to that used by the U.S. Forest
 Service, ensures that the government gets the highest possible value for the
 resource. COHDEFOR designates 'forest production areas', in which the highest
 bidder receives a temporary right to harvest a specified volume in accordance
 with the COHDEFOR - designed management plan. Follow-up on long-term management
 is then conducted by COHDEFOR.

 COHDEFOR may not have the money to accomplish its tasks. Local forest
 industry seeks to subcontract some of COHDEFOR's responsibilities,
 such as inventories, forest management plans and activities, in return
 for preferential bidding rights.

 Peasant communities and small permit holders may organize into
 community groups or cooperatives, and work in the forest. Such legal
 groups do not have to bid, but can request to be assigned a forest
 management area upon completion of a forest management plan.

  THE BROADLEAF FOREST DEVELOPMENT PROJECT 

 The Broadleaf Forest Development (BFD) Project, funded by the Canadian
 International Development Agency, and begun in 1988, intends to reduce
 the rate of deforestation. Its first task is to develop a model for a
 community-based permanent production forest, where the community
 protects resources that it has long-term rights to manage. The second
 task is to promote new land-use practices and community development
 activities to improve the quality of life in rural areas.

 The project's natural forest management is based on the traditional form of
 harvest and extraction by small-scale, independent timber cutters. Logs are
 felled and pit-sawn by hand into cants 4 to 8 feet in length. (COHDEFOR does not
 allow the use of chain saws because their cutting accuracy is lower and waste
 higher. Chain saws are permitted for felling.) The cants are loaded onto mules
 (approximately 50 bf/mule), which take up to several days to pack the wood out
 to the nearest road. Here they are usually sold to middlemen. Rotation lengths
 are not known; the project is currently using an extre-mely optimistic 30-year
 rotation for mahogany and all other species.

 Pitsawing is a very benign form of logging with respect to forest and soil
 disturbance. However, it facilitates the elimination of possible seed trees. Any
 tree left standing is probably defective. Over time, this will reduce and degrade
 the genetic base. This is unlike mechanical logging, where high costs make
 cutting of isolated individuals unprofitable.

 A number of challenges face the BFD project and the participating communities.
 A first is convincing the communities of the feasibility of making a long-term
 living from the forest. Most participants view forestry as a part-time occupation
 along-side agriculture. Assisting in organization of the communities has proven
 difficult. They are diverse, from a long-established and well-organized Pesch
 Indian community, to ones composed of colonists who barely knew one another.

 For example, a community of Las Mangas, were farmers new to timber
 harvesting. They had no forest management plan for the area they
 worked in. This area was contested by independent cutters still
 working under the old permit system. Out of spite, these permit-
 holders had felled numerous mahogany trees in such a way (downhill,
 over uneven terrain, or over one another) as to shatter the stems and
 make the wood worthless.

 Lack of knowledge and funds, both on the part of COHDEFOR and the
 communities, prevents the development and implementing of management
 plans. COHDEFOR has lost and been unable to attract skilled foresters
 because of low salaries and disillusionment. Most of the country's
 best foresters have been hired by private industry. With industry
 scrambling to produce forest management plans, the demands for skilled
 foresters will only intensify.

 Guidelines for preparation of forest management plans are so detailed
 that very few people have the capability to prepare them. It is feared
 that management plans will be submitted using incomplete or fabricated
 information. In April 1993, only two of the twelve groups had such
 plans.

 Many of the groups have no previous knowledge of the forest or the wood cutting
 profession. They need capital for purchase of and training in use of saws, mules,
 felling, and sawing methods. Unskilled workers fell trees in the wrong direction,
 breaking off the tops of neighboring trees, or landing them on uneven terrain and
 shattering the stems. Slabs, from which usable cants could have been cut, are
 left to rot in the forest.

    LESSER KNOWN SPECIES 

 Of the twelve community groups, only two work in areas containing mahogany. The
 other areas have no mahogany, following high-grading. Lesser Known Species (LKS)
 receive either very low prices, or else there is no market for them at all.

 To increase the use of LKS, the following must be overcome: 1) Knowledge of wood
 properties and species abundance. Such information is critical to forest
 industries contemplating the use of LKS. 2) Knowledge of biological
 characteristics (shade tolerance; natural regeneration; phenology; growth rates;
 etc.), critical for designing silvicultural prescriptions for regenerating and
 managing the species. 3) Promotion and marketing. Even if a species has desirable
 wood qualities, is available in sufficient quantities, and can be sustainably
 managed, forest industries will not use them unless a promotion and marketing
 effort is made by the producers. Pitsawing into small cants virtually eliminates
 the export market, which prefers logs. Thus, almost all wood is bought and
 proces-sed within the country for furniture and handicrafts, limiting markets
 available to producers.

 A local timber cutters cooperative, COATLAHL, seeks to reduce the dependence on
 middlemen. COATLAHL purchases transport trucks, subsidizes the prices of LKS with
 the higher income obtained from the sale of mahogany, and requires the purchase
 of LKS along with mahogany. With the establishment of a local sawmill, they will
 create their own value-added products from their members' wood.

 Non-Timber Forest Products also offer potential for sustainable income-generation
 from the forest. However, with so many other things to worry about, little was
 being done at the time of our visit.

                                             MAHOGANY

                                         by Dennis Desmond

 Bigleaf mahogany (Swietenia macro-phylla) occurs naturally from Mexico, through
 the Atlantic side of Central America, and into the southern Amazon of Bolivia and
 Brazil. It may be proposed for listing on Appendix II of CITES. CITES is the
 Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species. Species listed in
 Appendix II can be traded if the host government certifies that the source is
 sustainable and does not threaten the long-term viability of the species.

 The two other species of mahogany in Latin America are already considered to be
 genetically degraded and are listed on CITES' Appendix II list: Pacific coast
 mahogany (S. humilis), native to the Pacific coast of Central America, listed in
 1973; and small leaf mahogany (S. mahogani), native to certain Caribbean islands,
 listed in 1992.

 It has been said that if a woodworker could design the perfect wood, it would be
 mahogany. That is why mahogany has been harvested for centuries for a number of
 wood products. In Honduras, it commands the highest price, over double that of
 other broadleaf species. It is the traditional wood for Victorian furniture. In
 early days, only large, quality trees that were easily accessible were harvested.
 Now, even smaller trees in isolated areas are sought.

 The species is capable of high growth rates. It is adapted to a wide
 range of climatic and soil conditions, but does best on fertile, well-
 drained soils in tropical dry and tropical moist forest habitats.

 While successful in plantations in certain regions outside its native
 range, such as S.E. Asia and the S. Pacific, the planting of mahogany
 has largely failed in Latin America due to one major pest, Hypsipyla
 grandella. H. grandella is a moth whose larvae burrow into the
 terminal part of the tree's stem, causing branching, forking, or
 deformation of the bole. The species is most susceptible when young.
 No practical control methods have been developed to date, but
 some researchers suggest that there is potential for integrated pest
 management, combining tree improvement for pest resistance
 with silvicultural controls that maintain vigorous growth in the early
 years.

 Three silvicultural plantation systems can help in overcoming the Hypsipyla
 problem: mixed plantations, taungya systems with agricultural crops such as corn,
 and enrichment or line plantings in secondary forest. While the basis of the
 former two systems is essentially to 'hide' the tree from the moth, the latter
 system relies on natural predators and parasites of the moth.

 In the natural forest, the major challenge in regenerating mahogany is not
 Hypsipyla, but the creation of a large enough disturbance or gap. Mahogany is a
 pioneer, successional, light-demanding species. Normally, it establishes itself
 following major disturbances such as hurricanes, fire, or shifting agriculture.
 It can be found in the forest in small, even-aged clumps, or as scattered
 individuals. Selective cutting does not create significant openings with adequate
 sunlight in the forest to favor mahogany regeneration. Group selection is
 probably the most promising silvicultural system for regenerating this species.
 However, a market must exist for the other tree species harvested.

 A secure source of seedlings is a must in regeneration of mahogany. Mahogany
 seeds are wind-dispersed, viable for only a few weeks, and germinate best on
 exposed mineral soil. Thus, natural regeneration from seed can only occur if
 mahogany currently exists in the forest. Leaving of quality seed trees for a
 sufficient period of time, and avoiding of cutting during the flowering or
 fruiting stage are important.

 Direct seeding should be done in dry forest habitats, where competition is less.
 Fortunately, mahogany seeds store well under dry (4-5% m.c.) and cool (35-400F)
 conditions.

 Enrichment planting with nursery-grown seedlings is more expensive.

 With any of these options, seedlings may need tending in the first few years to
 ensure sufficient sunlight. Shoot-borer damage should be held in check, but not
 eliminated. Therefore, corrective pruning may also be needed.

 The creation of large openings (33% overstory reduction is ideal), and the
 favoring of mahogany regenera-tion, will cause changes in the density, and
 composition of the forest. The practice may therefore cause significant decline
 in forest biodiversity.

 For a related topic see "The Tropical Detective" in Vol. 7(3) 1993 issue of Sylvanet.

 THE SEARCH FOR NATURALLY - OCCURRING COMPOUNDS TO CONTROL MAHOGANY SHOOTBORER

                                          by Ben Bergman

 An important task facing scientists working toward sustainable forestry systems
 is that of the control of significant forest tree insects with natural, species-
 specific, non-polluting compounds. A joint research project conducted by Dr.
 Giovanni Onore (of the Pontificia Universidad del Ecuador) and Dr. Robert Gara
 (of the University of Washington) has such a goal. The Quito-Seattle
 collaboration focuses on the mahogany shootborer (Hypsipyla grandella), a
 significant pest of Spanish cedar (Cedrella odorata) and mahogany (Swietenia
 spp.) plantations throughout the American tropics.

 The approach used by Onore and Gara is that of isolating and identifying
 naturally-occurring chemical compounds in the tree species which are susceptible
 and resistant to the shootborer. For example, Spanish cedar is known to emit a
 volatile compound that attracts the mahogany shootborer. Based on the fact that
 the shootborer population decreases dramatically following several years of
 infestation, it is thought that the attacked trees are able to produce defensive
 compounds. Toona ciliata, for example, is closely related to Spanish cedar, but
 is highly resistant to the mahogany shootborer. T. ciliata produces compounds
 which are toxic to the insect. The ultimate aim is to use the constitutive and
 induced compounds in an applied, integrated pest management system for Hypsipyla.

 While this work focuses on finding methods for protecting Cedrella odorata and
 Swietenia spp. from Hypsipyla grandella, it is possible that results from this
 work will be useful in other tropical regions. The attack of plants within the
 Meliaceae by mahogany shootborers is a pan-tropical problem. Many methods have
 been tried over the last two decades in an effort to reduce shootborer
 populations to an economically acceptable level, but they have been unsuccessful.

                                             RWANDA:

 200,000 people dead and 2500 sq km of forest destroyed in months of tribal
 violence.

                                    by Felicien Ntawukuliryayo

 Rwanda, located in central east Africa, is a country of the size of Maryland. It
 is land-locked between Tanzania to the East, Zaire to the West, Uganda to the
 North, and Burundi to the south.

 There are three tribes in Rwanda: Twa, Hutu, and Tutsi. The rivalry between the
 last two tribes has been going on for centuries.

 Twa were the first to inhabit Rwanda. They lived by hunting and fruit-gathering.
 They made pottery. The Hutu followed at about the 7th cen-tury B.C. They were
 farmers. The Tutsi arrived in 14th century A.D. The three tribes lived in
 friendship until the 17th century, when the Tutsi managed to kill all the Hutu
 chiefs and impose a Tutsi king. To avert any resistance, they made people believe
 that the king had magical powers. A social system was established with Tutsis as
 lords, owning all the land and the other tribes. The Hutu and Twa thus became
 slaves of the Tutsi. Because the lords were a minority, they had to scare and
 oppress people into re-spect; all those who tried disobedience were killed.

 Nothing changed with the onset of the colonial rule by Belgium in 1918. Belgians
 were interested in minerals (such as tin, beryl, and wolfram) and in building
 roads and schools. Hutus did all the work, while the Tutsis were assistants or
 representatives of the Belgians in the territory. The Hutu were not allowed to
 go to school.

 In the 1950s, with the sweep of independence across Africa, the Hutu raised
 against the Tutsi king and against Belgium. In July 1961, the population voted
 for a republic and  democratic rule. Belgians had to leave. Some Tutsi sought
 refuge in neighboring countries to avert a revenge. From their safe refuge, they
 sporadically attacked the Hutu-led Rwanda.

 The current war started in October 1990 when general Fred Rwigema, chief of staff
 of the Ugandan army, and major Paul Kagame, chief of secret services in Uganda
 (both Tutsi), led an army of 15 battalions to attack Rwanda from its northeastern
 border with Uganda. The war went on for 3 months. A cease-fire was signed and
 broken many times. Subsequently, peace talks were organized in Arusha, Tanzania,
 supported by the four neighboring countries, the UN, The Organization for African
 Unity, the USA, Canada, France, Belgium, and Germany. Arusha accord led to the
 formation of a coalition government in Rwanda. This government was delayed in
 taking office due to a split in the major political parties.

 During this struggle, several Hutu politicians disappeared. They were: Emmanuel
 Gapyisi, an economist working for the UN, Gatabazi Felicien, civil engineer and
 Minister of Public Works, and Bucyana Martin, president of one of the political
 parties. Their families and friends blamed the Tutsi extremist group - Rwandan
 Patriotic Front (RPF) for the disappearance. Because they were influential in
 Rwandan politics, their death increased the tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi
 tribes.

 Terror and panic spread over Rwanda when the plane was hit killing the presidents
 of Rwanda and Burundi, both of whom were Hutu, and other delegation members, both
 Hutu and Tutsi. Hutu feared that Tutsi would usurp the power, restore the
 kingdom, and oppress the Hutu again. So they came out with any weapon they could
 get a hold of, and attacked those who they believed were connected with the death
 of the president. They then attacked all the Tutsi. Most of the Tutsi were
 prepared to fight because minorities in power are always prepared "just in case".
 Hundreds of thousands of people have died in this violence, but the exact number
 is not known. We, the Rwandans in the US, do not know anything about what
 happened to our families because there are no working phones or operational post
 offices.

 Much fighting took place in Akagera National Park and the National Park of
 Volcanoes, where the mountain gorilla resides. In the East, RPF used antelopes,
 impala, buffaloes, and other wildlife as sources of meat for their army. Trees
 were cut for fire. Large areas of the park were burned intentionally or by
 accident during the war. Some 2.3 million people have left their homes to seek
 refuge inside or outside Rwanda. In refugee camps they use a lot of wood to hold
 up their tents and to cook.  It is estimated that more than 120 sq km of native
 forests have been cleared in the first two months of the war, and that more than
 2000 cubic meters of wood are being used daily. Organizations like FAO, ICRAF,
 ISTF, and SAF should help in assessing and repairing the damage.

 Felicien is a graduate student in the College of Forest Resources at NCSU. It's been months since he heard from
 his family or friends in Rwanda; their fate is unknown and we fear to think the worst. Felicien saves us the
 difficulty of asking; always with a friendly smile on his face, one could never tell the tragedy he is faced
 with. He is working as hard as ever on his vegetation-mapping project.

                            LETTERS TO SYLVANET:

 Dr. Robert Kellison's article on Chile in the last issue of Sylvanet brought us
 several responses. Glad to see them! Preciseness of numbers reported was mainly
 lost in editorial conversions of units.

 Edward Wilson, School of Forestry, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland writes
 the following:

 I must take issue with some of the comments made by Bob Kellison in his article about Chile.

 There is a mad rush by North American and other multi-nationals to set up large forestry operations in Chile,
 a Third world nation that can hardly be said to have a stable democracy (though things do not seem to be as bad
 as they were). Most of this rush south appears to be related to the tightening restrictions on forestry
 operations in the Pacific North-West and British Columbia where the natu-ral forest cover has been largely
 removed in the past few decades.

 The article did a disservice to forestry if he (Dr. Kellison) thinks that we can view timber production in
 isolation from the socio-economic aspirations of local peoples (as opposed to governments) and the need to
 conserve natural forest associations. Foresters may find radiata to be the perfect species in the short-term
 but surely we should be advocating more balance in silvicul-tural practices. There was little evidence from the
 article that much effort was being put into improv-ing the native species or that silvicultural opera-tions were
 being undertaken according to integrated resource management principles.

 The Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, one of the foremost centres for the study and conservation of gymnosperms
 and other montaine tree species, is actively involved in the World Conifer Conservation Programme, aimed at
 preserving the gene pool of all threatened conifer species. Due to the rush south by major corporations, Chile
 has been identified as a focal point for this project. Currently, specimens from a cross-section of provenances
 of the native trees of Chile are being collected by the garden and established in Scotland and other temperate
 oceanic climatic zones in western Europe. The hope is that these may serve as breeding populations at some time
 in the future when known seed origins are required to re-establish native tree species in Chile.

 There almost certainly is room for the type of production forestry discussed by Professor Kellison. However,
 even though my area of interest is in pine seedling physiology and plantation establishment, I believe there
 must be more effort made in the management of natural forest types and associations. We must learn to make do
 with slightly lower yields if we are to take a holistic approach to forestry, one that encompasses the broad
 spectrum of forest values. Optimisation of forest management should not be confined to inter-nal rates of return
 and timber production. In Scotland, where vast areas of the countryside have been planted with Sitka spruce,
 we have learned that in the long-term an economics-driven programme of monoculture establishment does not carry
 the support of the majority of people.

 It would be regrettable if we in the north, who now impose strict self-regulation, cannot apply the same
 standards in nations with such unique and spectacular natural forests as Chile! In my humble opinion, the
 article should have been ringing alarm bells about the threats to the finest existing temperate rainforests,
 not praising the monoculture mania of big industry.

 And from Eduardo Pena, University of Montana:

 I would like to correct some misinformation in Professor Bob Kellison's article.

 Spain ruled Chile for 300 years before the country gained its independence in 1818. Before that time, the area
 was settled by Araucanian Indians.

 Chile was settled by more than 12 different Indian tribes, I will give some names: Diaguitas, Aymaras,
 Atacamenios, Araucanos, Onas, Alacalufes, Yaganes, Huilliches, Pascuenses, etc.

 Remnants of the Indian tribes still exist on reservations that were allocated to them in the 1880s. They are
 identifiable by their dark skin, colorful dress and simple way of life.

 The land area of Chile is 75.6 million hectares. Of that area 22 million are forested (aproximately 30 % of the
 total area). The total land classified as forest land is 33 million.

 Chile's land distribution is:

 Forest land       33.8 millions ha  or 44.7%
 Agriculture land   5.5                 7.3%
 Grazing land       8.2                 10.8%
 Non-Productive    28.2                37.2%

 Of the 22 million hectares of forest, 13 milion hectares are National Parks and National Forest.

 Between 1965 to 1974, the average area planted per year was 32,000 ha. In 1974, the average area planted had
 a sharp increase, 83,000 ha, due to the forest incentive program. The average in the last 20 years has been more
 than 80,000 ha and in the last three years, the plantation rate was above 100,000 ha.

 The number of stems planted in the 70s was 2500 per hectare (2 x 2 m). The Forest Incentive Program pays for
 densities between 1,100 to 2,500 only when the survival rate after the first year is 75%.

The first tree breeding program started in 1976 with the founding of a tree breeding cooperative by private
companies and the Universidad Austral de Chile. In the late 80s a program began for Eucaly-ptus. The most common
Eucalyptus planted in Chile are globulus, delegatensis, camaldulensis, cladocalyx, fastigata, nitens, regnans,
and sideroxylon. Other conifer species used are Douglas fir, Populus spp., Ponderosa pine and Lodgepole pine
in Coyhaique (southern Chile).

 The best growth rate for Eucalyptus is 40 M3/ha/year, 30 to 35 m3/ha /year for radiata pine.
 In many places Eucalyptus is growing faster than Radiata pine.

                                PUBLICATIONS:

 SADC--Newsletter: TREE SEED NEWS

 The South African Development Community (SADC), in cooperation with
 the Canadian International Develop-ment Agency (CIDA), has established a TREE
 SEED CENTRE NETWORK (TSCN) project (duration 6 years: $14 million Can.) involving
 10 countries: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland,
 Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Petawawa National Forestry Institute, Chalk
 River, Ontario, Canada, is the Canadian Executing Agency for CIDA. Project funds
 will provide resources for professional training, buildings, management, and
 technical assistance.
 The principal focus of the project is the creation of a communications system
 among national tree seed centres that will facilitate the exchange of
 information, staff, technical expertise and seed. The long term goal is to
 enhance local capabilities in the region towards achieving a sufficient and
 sustainable supply of high quality tree seed of diverse species, and thus stimu-
 late tree planting activities.

 A major step in getting this project going is the establishment of a newsletter.
 TREE SEED NEWS is the quarterly newsletter of SADC-TSCN. Two issues of the
 newsletter have been published. Issue No. 1 (NOV. 93) provides a 'who-is-who' and
 'what-is-what' description of the project. Issue No. 2 (Mar. 94) concentrates on
 the growing of indigenous fruit trees. Seed workers throughout the world are
 invited to subscribe to the Newsletter Contact: The Editor, Tree Seed News, SADC
 Tree Seed Network, Private Bag BW 6238, Borrowdale, Harare, Zimbabwe.

 Voluntary contribution towards the success of the project, ie. information and
 cooperation, will be greatly appreciated.

 For more info contact:
 Hugh O. Schooley
 Petawawa National Forestry Institute
 P.O. Box 2000
 Chalk River
 Ontario KOJ 1JO Canada

                             COURSES, CONFERENCES, ETC.

 ENVIRNOMENTAL POLICY IN THE NETHERLANDS
 Objectives, instruments and practice Period: August 15 - August 26, 1994

 Dutch Environmental policy is considered to be very advanced by
 policy makers from all over the world. Policy's main objective is cooperation
 with industry and agriculture. In this course, a critical evaluation of the
 policy's bjectives, instruments and practices is given by different specialists.
 Special attention is paid to the role of industry in relation to waste
 prevention.

 This two week, full-time course provides a stimulating mixture of
 lectures, workshops and panel discus-sions, interaction with policy-makers,
 scientists and business managers, and visits to the Ministry of Environment, and
 some companies. The number of participants is limited to 30.

 Application and information:
 The Amsterdam Summer University
 P.O.Box 53066, 1007 RB Amsterdam
 The Netherlands
 Tel 31 20 620 0225,
 Fax 31 20 624 9368
 E-mail: [email-masked]

 WORLD CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH: CO-PLANET 94

 Objective is to provide a forum for individuals and groups working on projects
 to improve the quality of life on Earth, protect the environ-ment and promote
 networking.

 Date: July 27-31, 1994

 SPONSORS: GRAN FRATERNIDAD UNIVERSAL in collaboration with UNESCO
 PLACE: MONTERREY, MEXICO

 CONTACT Javier Ferrara
 Morelos 877 OTE.
 Monterrey, N.L. 64000
 Mexico
 ph: (8) 340 88 53
 fax:(8) 345 76 86

 INTENSIVE TRAINING COURSES IN CONSERVATION BIOLOGY

 The Conservation and Research Center of the National Zoological Park, Smithsonian
 Institution, offers:

 REMOTE SENSING/GIS (26-30 September 1994). Participants learn to process raw data
 into map layers, and how GIS is used in making decisions regarding protected
 areas. Information on hardware, software and data needs will be discussed.
 Instruction using ARC-INFO by D. Muchoney and R. Meier.

 Apply to Intensive Training, Conservation and Research Center, Front Royal, VA
 22630.  Deadline for application is one month prior to course opening date.
 Tuition is $750, including food and lodging.

 For more information
 contact Bill McShea at
 Tel: 703-635-6500
 Fax 703-635-6551

 LOCAL HERITAGE IN THE CHANGING TROPICS -- Innovative strategies for natural
 resource management and control. February 10-12.

 CALL FOR PAPERS ON:

 1. Legal Structures and Local Recognition: ethnicity as identity;
 roles of international entities;
 adaptation of culture and management
 2. Constructive Market Participation:
 using local markets; demonstrating value; international marketing
 3. Information Technologies:
 mapping; databases; networking;
 media attention

 Send one page abstract by September 1, 1994. Accepted authors will be notified
 by October 1. Final papers are due November 30.

 Send abstracts and/or queries to:
 Andi Eicher, ISTF Conference Committee, Yale School of Forestry and Enviromental
 Studies
 205 Prospect Street,
 New Haven, CT 06511
 Fax:(203)432-5942
 Email:[email-masked]

                               CORRECTIONS:

 correct address of the "Forest" discussion List is:
 [email-masked]
 An editorial typo in the article on Chile caused limb-free logs (page 3,
 paragraph 2) to be 76 m (!). READ: 7.6 m.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

 BEST WISHES TO DENNIS DESMOND AND TOM LENT AS THEY EMBARK ON THEIR FORESTRY
 VOYAGES !!! Dennis, after 1.5 years of knocking on Himalaya's door, became a
 United Nations Volunteer in Bhutan. Tom took his brew-meister's (and
 other) skills to Chile as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Tom will be
teaching Forestry.
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

 CLOSE RACE IN THIS YEAR'S TROPICAL FORESTER AWARD:

 In what was a nail-biter until the final votes were in, Wiliam Dvorak edged
 Rebecca Butterfield for the Tropical Forester of the Year Award. The third
 nominee was Frederick Owino. The award is given anually by the Raleigh Chapter
 of The International Society of American Foresters (ISTF). The purpose of the
 awards is to recognize those, who (1) made significant contributions to advancing
 the science, technology, education, and/or practice of professional forestry in
 the tropics, and (2) used the knowledge and skills of the profession to benefit
 the society.

 This year's winner, Bill Dvorak, is Director of the Central America and Mexico
 Coniferous Resources Cooperative (CAMCORE). Being CAMCORE's director since its
 inception in 1980, Dr. Dvorak's leadership made possible the expansion of the
 coop from its somewhat uncertain infancy (5 members in 4 countries) to its
 current strong support from 20 companies in 11 countries. CAMCORE is vital to the
 survival and utilization of speicies from some of the most genetically diverse
 forests of the world, those of Central America and Mexico. Seed collections from
 over 25 conifer and broadleaf species in 233 locations were made between 1980 -
 1992. These species have the potential to form the backbone of much of the
 tropical plantation forestry in the 21 st century.

 Congratulations Dr. Dvorak!

    ONCE AGAIN, SYLVANET INVITES THE FEMALE PROFESSIONALS IN
    INTERNATIONAL FORESTRY TO CONTRIBUTE THEIR UNIQUE STORIES FOR A
    SPECIAL ISSUE OF THIS NEWSLETTER !!! >

SYLVANET ALWAYS WELCOMES TYPED OR E-MAILED CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ITS
READERS. Please send materials to THE EDITOR, SYLVANET, College of
Forest Resources, Box 8002, RALEIGH, NC 27695-8002, USA.
PHONE: (919) 515-7581
FAX: (919) 515-6193
e-mail: [email-masked]

Sylvanet Editor: Kathryn Piatek
International Programs Director: Jan Laarman