From sylvanet@listserv.ncsu.edu Thu Dec 22 09:42:25 1994 Date: Thu, 22 Dec 1994 09:42:15 -0500 From: piatek@unity.ncsu.edu Subject: SYLVANET vol.8(3) winter 1994 (fwd) **** * * * * * * * * ******* ******* * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * **** * * * * * * ******* * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * ****** * * * * * ******* * Vol. 8, No. 3. December 1994 A publication of the International Programs, College of Forest Resources, North Carolina State University IN THIS ISSUE: 1. FORESTRY AND VODKA IN KAZAKHSTAN 2. FORESTRY AND FOLK TALES IN COLOMBIA 3. SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY IN BOLIVIA 4. GMELINA ARBOREA - THE HOW MUCH, WHERE 5. TIMBER CERTIFICATION 6. NCSU IN COSTA RICA! 7. WHAT'S THAT??? -- AGROECOLOGICAL VEGETABLE SHOPPING 8. NEWS ON THE EDUCATIONAL FRONT AND MORE! 9. THANKS GUYS! 10. 1995 11. YOURS TRULY... KAZAKHSTAN FORESTRY - AN OVERVIEW AND TRAVELOGUE by Mike Jacobson Introduction Most people have heard of Kazakhstan either in regard to the Marco Polo "Silk Road", or to the shrinking Aral Sea. Friendly and peaceful people, remote but beautiful landscapes, rich natural resources but a disastrous economy - that is Kazakhstan. Funded by Volunteers in Overseas Assistance (VOCA) and AID, our team was to learn about Kazakhstan's forest sector, exchange ideas, and give lectures on US forestry. Although relatively forest-poor compared to its neighbor Russia, Kazakhstan has a strong cadre of well-trained foresters who strongly believe in the importance of forests and trees. Unfortunately, the foresters can barely operate: the State forest enterprise lost 80% percent of its budget, and more cuts are expected. Geography and Culture Kazakhstan, the second largest country in the former Soviet Union, is over twice the size of Alaska. It stretches over 3,000 km east to west from the Caspian Sea and Ural River to China and Mongolia. Forested areas are mainly in the north and east. Most of the rest of the country is made up of steppe (grasslands), similar to North American prairies. In the south there are deserts. Mountains of up to 5000 m are found in the east and south-east. In general, rainfall is sparse, with an average of 200-400 mm annually in some parts of the north. In some parts of northern Kazakhstan temperatures reach - 400C in winter. The country is rich in oil, natural gas, coal and strategic minerals, which undoubtedly helped fuel the Soviet rise to a world superpower. The original inhabitants, the Kazakhs, were nomads tending sheep, horses and cattle. They came from the Mongol and the Arab empires. The Russians' first interest in the region was for military outposts to protect the Russian eastern frontier. With the rise of communism in the early 20th Century and the concurrent exploitation of Kazakh natural resources, many Russians settled in the region. The fertile black soils of North Kazakhstan were exploited for agricultural projects since the 1950s. As a result, the country is now mostly self- sufficient in grains and cereals, and it exports to other Central Asian countries. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Kazakhs regained political power and are starting to dominate affairs once the domain of the Communists. Russian managers are replaced with Kazakhs. The Kazakh language and culture are being rejuvenated. The country is still heavily influenced by Russians, who account for almost half the population of 16 million. The Soviet system ensured jobs, places to live and basic services for everyone. Unemployment, a non-issue in the former system, is now on the rise due to State-owned enterprises being sold and new owners minimizing costs in the transition to a market economy. Inflationary pressures are rampant due to price increases. It is hard to gauge the feelings of the people to these changes. Most Kazakhs seem happy to have their country and culture back. People, including Russians, realize the failings of the communist system. Yet some feel that the government (freely elected) is not doing the right thing in the transition to a market economy. The Forest Sector The forest sector is no exception to economic problems. The State Forest Service controls the country's forest resources but operates virtually without a budget. Prior to independence, the budget was an assured and stable part of forest management. At the field level, work is organized into State Forestry Enterprises (SFE). Similar to the well-known Soviet style collective farm, the SFE is a self-contained community whose primary goal is to manage the forest lands under their control. Targets on production come from a central planning committee and are basically orders given to the SFE. In addition to timber, many SFEs also produce their own food and livestock. The country has about 150 SFEs averaging in area about 100,000 ha (not all forest). Forest Types Only 3% of the land in Kazakhstan is forested (10 million ha). Three main forest types can be distinguished: in the north, the forest steppe is made up of islands of scotch pine and birch among agriculture and grasslands; toward the east and the mountains are taiga forests of fir, spruce and aspen; in the south one finds predominantly salt- and desert-tolerant species. Fruit-growing is also under the control of the forest enterprises, especially in the south. The region is the source of many unique apple cultivars. Forest Management and Research The key objective of forestry research in Kazakhstan is forest protection and afforestation. Large-scale production and harvesting are non-existent. The Soviet plan was for the larger mills to be located in Russia, where there are larger forest reserves. As a result, Kazakhstan never really developed a strong forest resource base. The goal of forestry in Kazakhstan, as part of the Soviet economic system, was more for protective than production purposes. Now, it cannot rely on the Russians and needs to become self-sufficient in forest products. Forests are generally well-managed and most foresters are trained technicians or professionals. Seed orchards, thinning and harvesting research areas, which we visited, were very sound and advanced, considering the lack of modern facilities. The country has two forestry training institutes and one large research institute. Additionally, some people were trained in the former Soviet Union. There is no extension agency, per se. All questions are addressed through the local SFE. Forest Production Kazakhstan consumes about 6 million cubic meters of forest products, of which about one-third is locally produced. Russian imports account for the remainder. There is a growing concern that forests will be overcut (especially for fuelwood) in the near future. Production is carried by the SFEs in decrepit sawmills using gang/sash saws. There is a wide range of production activities across the various SFEs. Some could not operate for lack of fuel. Typical products are boards for housing, crates, barrels, and logs for log houses. Some enterprises produce crafts such as wooden bowls and eating utensils. Non-Timber Activities Tourism, recreation, wildlife management, and non-timber forest products are not well-developed. Ecotourism is a new word. But the beauty and natural resources could provide a wide range of recreation: skiing, hiking, horseback riding. The country, being very sparsely populated, is still pristine in many areas. Wildlife is fairly abundant in bears, foxes, deer and mountain sheep. Locals traditionally have had free access to berry and mushroom picking in the forests. Watershed Management An important aspect of forestry in Kazakhstan is the innovative control of watersheds. For example, along the Ural River, elms, maples, ashes, and pines are planted in rows. The plowed area between the rows retains moisture. As the elms die, they are replaced with more useful and productive pines. Pines need the wind shelter from the elms and the enriched soil from previous plantings. Environmental Issues The draining of the Aral Sea was an internationally-famous Soviet disaster. Since 1960 the sea has been used to irrigate cotton fields in Central Asia. Reportedly, the sea is now less than half of its original size. As a result, water, sanitation and dust pollution problems abound. There are efforts at replanting the watersheds and the exposed sea bottom. Salt-tolerant species are used. Lack of funding, however, could waste this important restoration effort. Forest Outlook The prospects for the forest sector at present are not as good as, say, for the vodka market (although the previously subsidized vodka producers are losing now to cheaper imports). Yet the resolve on the faces of the foresters to maintain the forests is impressive. Many of them are working without pay. An estimated 30% of the land is unproductive, which could mean a huge increase in their forest reserves if just one or two percent were used for forest plantations. Foreign donors and the government talk of the need for environmental protection but fail to act on it. Although not a developing country, Kazakhstan needs technical assistance to hold on to its forest reserves and to expand the forest area in order to make the country more self-sufficient in forest products. Mike Jacobson is a Ph.D. student in Forestry at NCSU. During the summer 1994, he spent 5 weeks evaluating Kazakhstani forestry sector and tasting local delicacies and drinks. A fuller report can be obtained from the author by e-mailing to: jacobson@unity.ncsu.edu RAPID RURAL ASSESSMENT IN COLOMBIA by Masatoshi Endo Introduction Deforestation in Colombia is high (900,000 ha/year), but reforestation replenishes only a small portion (8000 ha/year) of cut forests. Forest industries perform almost all major reforestation using pine, eucalyptus, Gmelina, and some native species. I visited 10 different forestry projects, including industrial forest plantations and community forestry, performing Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA). Spending two to seven days at each place allowed me to identify key informants of projects and casual neighbors. My objective was to learn 1) what people think of the forestry projects in their area, 2) what kind of special programs exist to improve relationships between people and the projects, and 3) how effective are such programs. Geography In the Andean region, the terrain is steep and the population pressure relatively high. Coffee grows at elevations of 1400-1900 m; grazing still occurs at 1900-3000 m. Degraded natural forests and farmland intermingle. The northern coastal area is characterized by hot and dry weather, except for two short rainy seasons (annual rainfall of 1000-1500 mm). The terrain is fairly flat, and infrastructure development is poor. In many villages, people still obtain drinking water from brown-water ponds, and they don't have electricity. People and forest plantations In the areas with plantation operations, people complained that pine and eucalyptus sterilize and dry up soils, pointing to an absence of weeds underneath these trees. They claim that toxic substances in pine needles cause decomposition to slow down and no other plants to grow. That the absence of weeds is a result of the closed canopy is not an explanation. Not even the fact that rainfall declined in 1991-92 due to the change in the "Nino" current can change people's minds about water loss due to plantations. Opinions like these are often expressed by people with considerable education: medical doctors, lawyers, and school teachers. The newspaper with the most circulation in Colombia, "El Tiempo", ran a story "Pines are bad for soils". Such a story can affect policies. For example, the city of Pasto (with 300,000 people) would like to prohibit planting of pines and eucalyptus within its city limits, at the same time eradicating the growing ones within a few years! Yet these trees can stabilize eroded lands, provide employment and raw materials, and supply fuelwood to reduce people's dependency on natural forests. Some argued that people are now starving because agricultural lands are used for forestry operations. People cannot eat trees, these critiques stress. However, many forest plantations utilize fallow agricultural or grazing lands. In the past, these lands belonged to a few large land owners. Food produced did not necessarily belong to the locals; most of it went to the market. In the last five years, many farmers went out of business in Colombia because the prices of agricultural products were too low for farmers to make an income (yet expensive for consumers). Industrial forestry projects I contrasted several industrial with public forestrym projects. Monterrey Forestal and Reforestadora de San Sebastian, both industrial forestry projects, are located in a fairly poor sector in northern Coastal Colombia. I was amazed by the many positive opinions expressed by local farmers. One local farmer said: "God must have brought this forestry project here!". These forest projects are the only sources of stable employment opportunity with full benefits (health insurance, vacation time, minimum wage) in the zone. Monterrey Forestal supports a local women's group to run a uniform factory, and also assists farmers finan- cially and technically in their bee-keeping business. Reforestadora de San Sebastian offers a community health program, including construction materials to build toilets. Based on these two industrial projects, I conclude that industrial forestry can contribute to the improvement of life for the rural people. Public forestry projects I was a bit disappointed with some public forestry projects. In one project, where tree planting was required by law to improve watersheds, 27 million trees were planted in the past 14 years, with 7 million surviving. In another project, forest contractors (foresters) were planting pine seedlings one inch in height. Contractors know that these small trees have a poor survival, but the project's objectives are based on the number of trees planted in a given time period. Local farmers think of these projects favorably because they receive free seedlings. However, if one considers how much it costs to administer such a program, farmers may actually prefer a completely different project. For example, a simple calculation reveals that the cost of 200 seedlings delivered to a farmer are approximately what a poor farmer would earn in a month. In the field, I could easily observe some 200 seedlings wasted (not utilized) in farmers' yards on more than one occasion. As a concluding remark, I am convinced that forestry projects can contribute to improving rural people's life. But further effort is needed to make forestry projects addressing people's needs. Equally important is to foster public opinion so that people become aware that forestry is beneficial. Without such a conviction, reforestation will never become a mainstream event. Masatoshi Endo spent his summer in Colombia, chatting with campesinos (local farmers) about forestry projects. He occasionally had to drink and even dance in order to obtain more rapport from people. It was a tough job (but somebody had to do it!). Toshi is a Ph.D. candidate in Forestry at NCSU. BOLIVIA SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY MANAGEMENT PROJECT (BOLFOR) by David Hughell Bolivia's most urgent environmental concerns are deforestation and forest degradation. The conversion of Bolivia's economically viable forest ranges from 80,000 to 200,000 hectares/year. Its booming export market is dominated by three species which comprise nearly 90 percent of the timber trade -- Swietenia macrophylla (mahogany) (which alone accounts for 63 percent of total timber value), Amburana (roble) and Cedrela (cedro). While stocks may last less than a decade at the current rates of extraction, almost nothing is known about the natural regeneration and growth of these species. In addition, experts estimate that more than 50 percent of total timber cut is wasted through irrational harvesting and milling practices. Secondary timber products are almost ignored, and almost all of Bolivia's hardwoods are marketed with little or no value-added processing in country. A host of potentially renewable non-timber forest products (e.g., essential oils, fruits, gums, medicinals, and selected fauna) that could dramatically increase the value of the standing forest remain unexplored. In summary, increasingly scarce forest resources are being extracted at extremely high ecological, economic, and social costs, and then sold for only a fraction of their potential value. The Bolivia Sustainable Forestry Management Project (BOLFOR) has been created to address these urgent problems. BOLFOR is a new AID-financed forestry project executed by a consortium of non-profit and for-profit organizations: Chemonics International (prime contractor); Tropical Research and Development (TRD); Conservation International (CI); Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Its activities are organized into three components: (1) natural forest management, (2) policy and institutional analysis and development, and (3) timber and non- timber product development, including value-adding enterprises. Contrary to most AID natural resource management projects, BOLFOR's activities have intentionally been left open to give it the flexibility to respond to local initiatives carried out by other organizations. The goal is to fortify local institutions and avoid the problems inherent in traditional top-down project implementation. BOLFOR's key counterpart organization is Bolivia's new Ministry for Sustainable Development and the Environment (MDSMA), although BOLFOR also works closely with other relevant government and non-governmental organizations. In Bolivia the non-govermental organizations (NGOs) are generally stable, well funded and, in some cases, have good technical expertise to carry out environmental research and development activities. BOLFOR's major focus is "eco-certification", with the ambitious goal of having 25 percent forest production in the department of Santa Cruz certified. The idea behind eco-certification is to use market forces (take advantage of "green" consumerism) to motivate change from destructive to less-destructive and sustainable forest management practices. Based on the guidelines laid out by the International Timber Trade Organization (ITTO), criteria have to be set for identifying acceptable forest management and for determining which products are a result of these practices. David Hughell is a graduate student in quantitative management in Forestry, NCSU. As a consultant with Chemonics, David Hughell carried out a 5-week assignment (June/July 1994) with the BOLFOR project to help design a strategy for the development of a computerized environmental monitoring and evaluation system. Gmelina arborea: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN INDUSTRIAL PLANTATIONS by Wendell Clark and Bob Flynn Abstract Gmelina arborea occurs naturally in India and several neighboring countries. Because of its abundant production of seed, rapid early growth and coppicing characteristics, it has been widely planted throughout the lowland tropics. The earliest recorded plantation was in 1879 in what is now Bangladesh. By 1981, gmelina had been planted in at least 35 countries. Gmelina grows extremely rapidly on good sites, but has not been successful on steeper slopes, poor soils, or areas with marginal rainfall. The wood is easy to work, and has properties similar to the Populus spp. It is used for rotary peeled veneer, pulp, particleboard, matches, and sawn wood for local use. In addition, its light color and physical properties offer exciting potential for future use in medium density fiberboard (MDF) and oriented strand board (OSB), as these new products continue to rapidly gain acceptance world-wide in the furniture and construction industries. In plywood, gmelina makes an excellent surface for modern finishes, as well as good core stock. The following article is intended to briefly summarize the extent of industrial gmelina development by geographical area. Africa Nigeria has almost 90,000 ha in gmelina plantations, making it one of the world's largest reserves of the species, and certainly the largest outside its native range. This timber was planted as part of three pulp mill schemes. Two mills were actually built, but were several years behind schedule, and are now operating at a fraction of capacity. Planting was done on schedule and much of the gmelina is now getting too large for pulpwood. Many plantations are remote from the intended pulp mills. New private or joint venture mills to produce particleboard, MDF, or OSB for export would be the best use of Nigerian gmelina timber, but unstable political conditions presently preclude the necessary investment. Mature gmelina deteriorates rapidly and does not age well. Gmelina has been planted widely in several other African countries, including Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia. Southeast Asia Malaysia - Sabah Softwoods Sdn Bhd (SSSB) has around 6,000 ha of gmelina in plantations, and they are currently expanding this base. The plan is to eventually chip this wood for pulp production, either in Malaysia or other Asian countries. However, after several feasibility studies, no chip plant has yet been built. Indonesia - P.T. Suryaraya Wahana has four nurseries producing gmelina and is aggressively planting on the island of Kalimantan, according to Dr. Chuck Davey of NCSU. Several Japanese companies are reportedly interested in growing gmelina in either Indonesia or Malaysia - wood from these plantations would be chipped and exported to pulp mills in Japan. Gmelina has also been planted in the Philippines, Thailand, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu, among other countries, but the authors know of no other recent, large-scale plantations. South America Brazil - Perhaps the most well-known gmelina plantations were developed by Daniel Ludwig as part of the Jari project. Planting of gmelina began at Jari in 1968. In 1980, Jari had 72,000 ha of gmelina. However, despite the fact that the species makes excellent pulp, it did not grow well on many of the soils at Jari. Gmelina has not been replanted since 1990, and now the project is no longer utilizing the species. Costa Rica - Ludwig planted gmelina in Costa Rica and Panama already in the early 1960s. Stone Container has planted 13,000 ha of gmelina in southern Costa Rica, and plans to export most of the wood in chip form. They have not yet secured the necessary permits to build the chip plant and export dock, and are being opposed by international groups such as Greenpeace. This despite the fact that Stone has made a concerted effort to be "environmentally friendly", e.g. plant only on land that had already been cleared for grazing, plant in blocks averaging about 40 ha in size rather than in huge blocks, use mainly manual labor to clear competing vegetation rather than herbicides, etc. Stone also hopes to grow some gmelina on a longer rotation (around 10 years) to produce sawlogs. Growth rates on Stone's plantations reportedly have averaged about 40 m3/ha/year; growth ranges from 15 to almost 100 m3/ha/yr. Another company in Costa Rica, Los Nacientes, has about 5,000 ha of gmelina in the northern and eastern parts of the country. Guatemala - Simpson Paper Company has established about 5,000 ha, with the intention of chipping the wood and exporting the chips to their pulp mill in Texas. Simpson is currently reconsidering its options, and may export pulp-logs to Texas and chip there. They are expanding their plantation base, with the aim of reaching 7,000 ha. Venezuela - Smurfit Carton de Venezuela planted about 4,000 ha to help feed their new wood-based pulp mill at San Felipe. They will expand this slightly. Colombia - Pizano, S.A. has several thousand hectares of gmelina, used to feed their particleboard mill. Smurfit Carton de Colombia has a gmelina seed orchard and is selling seed, but is not expanding plantations of gmelina. Wendell Clark is a forestry consultant with experience in 17 countries, including a recent assignment in Nigeria with gmelina plantation utilization. Bob Flynn is a forestry consultant specializing in raw material supply and demand. The authors would like to hear of new developments with Gmelina. Please contact W. Clark at: 12528 S.W. 158th St., Vashon, WA 98070, fax 206-567-4988, and B. Flynn at: 6824 19th St. W., #330, Tacoma, WA, 98466, fax 206-565-5919, e-mail bobgflynn@aol.com TIMBER CERTIFICATION: Implications for Tropical Forest Management - Conference Notes by Robert Crook On Feb.5-6, 1994, at Yale University, a conference on Timber Certification was held, focusing on the impact of such a program on timber harvesting and marketing throughout the world. The spectrum of groups present ranged from industry: hardwood trade associations and timber buyers, to environmental: Friends of the Earth, the Sierra Club, Rainforest Alliance. Also present were some writers and publishers of forestry journals. This mix made for lively exchanges, and discussion on a global scale. For any who are unfamiliar with what timber certification is, a quick recap is in order. Different groups have begun to try and certify that forest products are harvested in a sustainable manner. Such certification projects can be effective for two reasons: a rational, sustainable management of forest resources is more economically favorable in many cases in the long run. Secondly, these programs foster a spirit of cooperation between the producers and consumers. While the effort to certify timber is well intentioned, there are many questions and problems with implementation. Constraints Biological. Which biological parameters should be used to determine if forest harvesting activities are causing a degradation of the forest? All groups present at the meeting would be happy to see Best Management Practices (BMP) implemented in all forests. This means that any forest product seen with a green sticker at your local lumberyard does not imply sustainable harvesting techniques, but rather ecologically sensitive harvesting of timber. The Indonesian representatives to the meeting were advocating a plan with many characteristics of ecosystem management. A key to the success of the forestry program is to control population growth through a family planning program. The Indonesians sent former NCSU alumnus, Syafi Manin, to represent them at the conference. Political. If the North expects the South to harvest their timber in a sustainable manner, than the South will expect the North to do likewise. The idea of boycotting timber which is harvested in an ecologically insensitive manner will not work. Austria tried this approach and damaged its relations with ITTO producer nations. To boycott timber in the U.S. would not make much sense as a way to stop deforestation; we are a relatively small consumer. It makes more sense to expand the markets for the secondary timber species that are at present being wasted. These include tropical timbers as well as red alder and Pacific yew from the north-western U.S. A representative of Overseas Hardwoods Company, T. Lee Robinson, Jr. put it: "Most people looking to purchase wood are only interested in buying the properties of wood, not any one particular species, so that as more becomes known about the physical and anatomical properties of these woods, the easier it will be to sell these lesser known species." Economic. Who is going to pay for consultants and certiffiers to go to remote places to certify that a forest is being harvested sustainably? The industry/trade representatives at the conference said that no U.S. consumer will spend the extra money on wood that is sustainably harvested. Mark Eisen, head of Marketing for Home Depot, a home improvement chain worth $10 billion dollars, said that if two products are priced equally and one is green stamped and the other is not, than the green stamp will be sold. However, if it is more expensive it will not last in the marketplace. Environmental and other groups disputed this claim. Right now, the Rainforest Alliance is being criticized for charging too much money to timber producers for certification under the BPM guidelines. Certification costs range from a few thousand dollars to a hundred thousand dollars for Collins Pine. For Collins Pine this works out to $1 per 1000 board feet. Estimates at the conference were that it should not cost more than $2.50 per 1,000. Such cost makes the profit margin too small for the many small communities in the developing world who are trying to start up community-based forest operations. These are the same communities who are colonizing and converting forest to agriculture because they know of no way to successfully produce anything from the forest. The Rainforest Alliance is trying to implement regionalization of certification officers. The use of local personnel would cost less to hire and support while in the field. Another suggestion was to lower taxes and import duties on timber that was harvested sustainably to a level at which it could compete in the marketplace with other timber. This was suggested by a representative of the International Hardwood Products Association. Rob Crook was a forester for the Peace Corps in Costa Rica. He is a M.S. candidate in forestry at NCSU. He is currently looking for employment, preferrably in Latin America. A more complete version of these notes can be obtained from the author at R.Crook, Box 8002, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695. NCSU's 1994 TROPICAL FORESTRY FIELD TRIP by Laura Lombardo From May 15-27, group of 18 travelled from North Carolina to Costa Rica to get a first-hand account of tropical forest management and conservation. Dr. Rebecca Butterfield, Forestry Coordinator at the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) and NCSU alumnus, lead the tour. The group comprised graduate and undergraduate students in forestry, political science, and biomath. Among this group were 5 international students from Japan, Mexico, Indonesia and Taiwan. Reforestation / Plantation Forestry Driving through the Costa Rican countryside, one notices the immense deforestation that has occurred through conversion of once primary-forest lands to cattle pastures. This conversion has been politically and economically driven by past credit policies of the nationalized banking system. Only ten years ago, Costa Rica was still an exporter of wood, with approximately 150 sawmills in operation. Since no effort had been made to reforest, Costa Rica must now import timber to meet its demand for wood products, and a majority of its sawmills are shutting down. However, the environmental movement convinced the government to recognize forestry as a far more appropriate land use than cattle grazing. Reforestation of pasture lands through plantation forestry is now being supported and even subsidized by the government in order to make forestry an economically attractive alternative to farmers. The Organization of Tropical Studies, OTS, through its TRIALS projects, hopes to better match native tree species to sites, to increase seed production and nursery capabilities, and to understand the effects of reforestation on water- sheds and soil properties. There are many opportunities for interested graduate students to get involved in TRIALS research. TRIALS has experimental forestry plots at La Selva Biological Station and a research nursery in Buenos Aires. In Buenos Aires, we visited Ston Forestal's industrial forestry operations, where Ston maintains a Gmelina arborea (exotic species) seed orchard and conducts provenance tests. Melina is used as a model for management of demanding tree species (exotic or native), and is being evaluated for adoption to large- scale silviculture. In Salama, melina is growing successfully in plantations, yielding 70 m3/ha/yr! We visited 2 sawmills, one for large and the other for small diameter logs. At El Gavilan Sawmill, the machinery in stock could only process very large logs, such as those from the old-growth primary forests. In order to stay in business, the mill is restructuring to handle smaller diameter logs harvested from plantations. The mill buys timber directly from farmers and not from loggers to ensure a steady supply of wood. The mill also purchases land. If the purchased land is forested, the mill manages the land according to natural forest management regulations, where 40% is harvested. If the land is in pasture, the mill will reforest using the results from TRIALS research, and manage in plantations. The second sawmill (small diameter) operated solely from the thinnings from 5-12 year old plantations. Due to the current wood shortage in Costa Rica, this mill is quite successful in selling whatever it produces. Natural Forest Management CATIE, the regional agricultural and forestry research center, focuses on sustainable natural forest management in Tirimbina. Most of the forests which escaped deforestation is privately owned, even in the national parks. The government provides incentives to land owners to manage their land sustainably. CATIE assists private land owners in forest management and promotes silviculTural "liberation" through girdling as a means to increase mean annual increment of potential crop trees. Agroforestry At La Selva, OTS studies the ecology and biophysics of agroforestry to help decide which species to plant together. In the coffee-growing region of Guanacaste, AGUADEFOR, an NGO, interplants nitrogen-fixing trees with coffee. The trees provide nitrogen for the coffee, and fruit and firewood for the locals. Protected Area Management We spent a day at Santa Rosa National Park (monkey alert!) in northwestern Costa Rica. This park is part of the Guanacaste Conservation Area, a 110,000 sq km area with forest types ranging from coastal tropical dry forest to humid tropical rain forest. Research efforts for the Guanacaste Conservation Area have focused on restoration of the tropical dry forest, silviculture, and environmental education. The Costa Rica National Park Service, which considers conservation of the park to be the primary objective, has been under tremendous pressure to accommodate tourists. This is common in most national parks in Costa Rica. Another challenge is funding. So far, the park has been very successful in getting international funding, and work is underway to set up an endowment fund to support the park's operating budget. Rainforest Ecology A guided tour of the primary and secondary forests (450 tree species at La Selva) introduced us to the lushness of the vegetation. Beautiful birds (including the colorful keel-billed toucan), poison dart frogs, and my all-time favorite, the leaf-cutter ants, never ceased to amaze me. While at La Selva, we heard lectures from OTS researchers on ecology of rainforests and secondary forests, and visited their GIS facilities and a fascinating insect inventory project. All in all, the trip was a great, unforgettable experience. We all learned a great deal about the many aspects of forestry, got to speak some Spanish to the very warm and friendly Costa Ricans, saw beautiful scenery (including active volcanoes), forests and wildlife, and ate some excellent pineapple!! I look forward to next year's trip! Laura Lombardo is a M.S. student in Forestry at NCSU. After eight years as an engineer with the EPA, she is pursuing her interests in international forestry and development. OPINIONS: THE PROBLEM OF PER DIEMS: AGRO-ECOLOGICAL VEGETABLE SHOPPING by Jan Laarman We often discuss incentive and disincentives for different kinds of forestry activities. For example, we debate circumstances that would motivate a community to engage in tree planting, or that would encourage a logger to reduce logging damages. However, an honest discussion of incentives and disincentives should call our attention to a subject rarely explored. In countries where a forester makes the equivalent of under US$100 a month, a one-week trip amounts to a substantial amount of money in per-diems. A recent experience in agro-ecological vegetable shopping helps make the point. We were putting on a workshop in a distant town, and this enabled my companions to save a considerable proportion of their per diems. In the highlands they bought carrots, cabbages, and potatoes. A little lower in elevation, it was bananas, millet, and beans. Then lower still and closer to the main city, they compared roadside stalls for tomatoes, onions, and garlic. I remembered the Holdridge Lifezone System and its significance for agroecological patterns on the land. But I concluded that Dr. Holdridge could not have anticipated that his system would be so useful for fruit and vegetable shopping on government per diems. Several questions are suggested: * Why is travel such a large item in many forestry budgets? * Why do only top administrators in a ministry or forestry department come to meetings, especially in far-away places, even when the meetings are intended for technical personnel? * Is it good economics when a project team spends hours of time and many liters of vehicle fuel to save very modest amounts on a meal or hotel bill? * Why is having family or friends with whom to spend a night important in the choice of where to hold a conference or meeting? * Why do decisions about who is assigned to regional and other field positions command so much attention, even of top administrators, to the neglect of other matters? It seems to me that the economics of official travel are vastly understudied in relation to their true significance for forestry programs. CONFERENCES: International Society of Tropical Foresters, Raleigh Chapter, and North Carolina State University will sponsor the following one-day meeting: Current Issues in Clearcutting (March 25, 1995). We intend to probe an array of perspectives in both tropical and temperate forestry. For more info contact: Toshi Endo North Carolina State University College of Forest Resources Box 8002 Raleigh, NC 27695 Fax 919 515-6193 e-mail toshi@unity.ncsu.edu The Australian National University will be offering the following courses in 1995: Rural Projects -- design, monitoring and evaluation (April 24 - May 19,1995). Focus on development of practical skills in project identification, design, and logical framework, social and economic analyses, organization, management, and implementation. Cost, including tuition and subsistence, is A$ 8,000. GIS and Environmental Modelling (July 3-14, 1995). Hands-on experience in spatial data manipulation in IDRISI: raster and vector systems, data formats and sources, data handling and interpretation, map generation. Practice with forestry, agriculture, soil, hydrology, and related data sets. Cost, including tuition and subsistence, is A$ 3,500. Environmental Assessment for Development Projects (Sept.4-29, 1995). Topics covered include EIA procedures, environmental economics, and the role of the community in environmental management. Intended for resource planners and project professionals. For more info contact: George Collett ANUTECH Pty Ltd GPO Box 4 Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia Tel 616 249 5671 Fax 616 249 5875 Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, will hold the following meeting: First Open meeting on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Community (June 1-3, 1995). The purpose is to promote exchange of information on current research, teaching, and outreach in the area of human dimensions. Special sessions will include: International Institutions and Global Environmental Change; Scientific Analysis; Perceptions, and Desicions-Making; Property Rights and Global Environmental Change; Industrial Restructuring and Sustainable Development; Land Use/Cover Modelling and Analysis; Human Migration. For more info contact: Global Environmental Change Program, Social Science Research Council, 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158. Tel 212 661-0280 Fax 212 370-7896 e-mail gordon@acfcluster.nyu.edu or majord@acfcluster.nyu.edu PUBLICATIONS: Land, Forests, and Sustainable Community Development in Insular Southeast Asia - Bibliography Uptade. Included 420 citations on resource management in forests and upland areas of insular Southeast Asia. Costs: US$ 10.0 (airmail) or US$ 4.0 (surface mail). Make checks to: Cornell University. Mail to: SINULOG 349 Warren Hall Cornell University Ithaca, N.Y. 14853 e-mail rlb2@cornell.edu POSITIONS WANTED: Statistician and economist (M.S.), specializing in accounting and economic analysis is looking for an accounting/manager/computer analyst/finance officer position. Has international experience. English-proficient, and versed in Russian. Please contact Samuel Onyenankeya, c/o Mr. O.B. Ibelachi, No 63 Awolowo Street, Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria. Sylvanet would like to recognize the people who were and are instrumental to its well-being: David Hughell, who over the years helped maintaining the address database; the former co-editor, Kevyn Wightman, who put us at the forefront of internet technology, and last, but not least, Mike Jacobson, who not only serves coffee, but also proof-reads Sylvanet. Thanks! AND TO ALL OF YOU: FELIZ AN~O NUEVO! HAPPY NEW YEAR! SZCZE,S'LIWEGO NOWEGO ROKU! SELAMAT TAHUN BARU 1995! ALLES GUTE ZUM NEUEN JAHR! Sylvanet editor: Kathryn B. Piatek International Programs Director: Dr. Jan Laarman Our address: College of Forest Resources North Carolina State University Raleigh , NC 27695 USA Phone: 919 515-7581 Fax: 919 515-6193 e-mail: sylvanet@cfr.cfr.ncsu.edu