In the climate change context, forestry is poised to play a bigger role. But how well the sector 'delivers' on the expectations is a challenge. I had written a fairly short viewpoint paper on 'Reducing Emissions for Deforestation and Degradation' towards the end of last year that I am attaching here for reference.
IT IS AN EXCELLENT ARTICLE. I CONGRATULATE THE AUTHOR. HOWEVER I SUGGEST CHOICE OF RIGHT TREE FOR AFFORESTATION IS ESSENTIAL. I SUPPORT THE REASONING OF SUNDERLAL BAHUGUNA AND HIS CHPIKO FRIENDS AND PANDURANG HEGDE AND HIS APPIKO FRIENDS...REGION WISE DOCUMENTATION OF RIGHT CHOICE OF TREE IS NECESSARY...
Pradipta Halder said:
Dear Anandan,
Thanks a lot for sharing your research. It is very interesting to know that you are working on this complex topic. I would appreciate if you could share more about your findings. For example, which are the main alien invasive species? What are their effects on the native species? What is the broader picture like who introduced them and why? I have never worked on this subject but participated in some lectures. I can say that the conflict between exotic and native species is purely temporal. What is an exotic species? What if a species came in India 200 years ago and now it is well accepted into the ecosystem? What was the vegetation composition in the Western Ghats 10000 years ago? I agree with you that invasive species are great threats to biodiversity but they are not always harmful if we could manage them properly. Sometimes exotic species can grow faster than the native species and could be useful for forest industries. So, instead of taking a biased stand against them we should be more cautious.
Now coming back to the protecting our ancient forests (especially the old growths). They are very important for all ecological concerns and we must ensure that they survive the present and the coming ages. But we should also create old growths through forest management planning. During final felling we can leave certain number of trees per ha of forest land and over the time it will result into some old growth patches, may not be a continuous forest cover of old growths. This kind of practice is very common in the developed countries although they have been highly criticized for their intensive mechanized forestry practices. All these are possible only when we are aware of the importance of the ancient forests. It is not only the responsibility of the forest department; the public should also come forward to save the ancient forests. In India, we have plethora of laws but the problem is the implementation which needs collective actions from all the stakeholders. We must reduce poverty and illiteracy in all the forest fringe areas otherwise we can’t get the desired results. I do not have much idea about the tribal bill (has it been passed in the parliament?). I think it will be a real challenge if they get ownerships of forest land but fail to maintain it.
Pradipta
Forestry and Climate Change
In the climate change context, forestry is poised to play a bigger role. But how well the sector 'delivers' on the expectations is a challenge. I had…
Thanks a lot for sharing your research. It is very interesting to know that you are working on this complex topic. I would appreciate if you could share more about your findings. For example, which are the main alien invasive species? What are their effects on the native species? What is the broader picture like who introduced them and why? I have never worked on this subject but participated in some lectures. I can say that the conflict between exotic and native species is purely temporal. What is an exotic species? What if a species came in India 200 years ago and now it is well accepted into the ecosystem? What was the vegetation composition in the Western Ghats 10000 years ago? I agree with you that invasive species are great threats to biodiversity but they are not always harmful if we could manage them properly. Sometimes exotic species can grow faster than the native species and could be useful for forest industries. So, instead of taking a biased stand against them we should be more cautious.
Now coming back to the protecting our ancient forests (especially the old growths). They are very important for all ecological concerns and we must ensure that they survive the present and the coming ages. But we should also create old growths through forest management planning. During final felling we can leave certain number of trees per ha of forest land and over the time it will result into some old growth patches, may not be a continuous forest cover of old growths. This kind of practice is very common in the developed countries although they have been highly criticized for their intensive mechanized forestry practices. All these are possible only when we are aware of the importance of the ancient forests. It is not only the responsibility of the forest department; the public should also come forward to save the ancient forests. In India, we have plethora of laws but the problem is the implementation which needs collective actions from all the stakeholders. We must reduce poverty and illiteracy in all the forest fringe areas otherwise we can’t get the desired results. I do not have much idea about the tribal bill (has it been passed in the parliament?). I think it will be a real challenge if they get ownerships of forest land but fail to maintain it.
Hi Satya,
You have raised a very interesting point that is quite common when we debate about ‘evergreen vs. deciduous’ forests. I am not going into the details of that debate rather trying to share my thoughts on the question that you have raised. When trees have no leaves they simply don’t grow. Evergreen forests like Pine and Spruce in boreal condition also don’t grow in winter although they have leaves. Winter in boreal condition is very harsh and temperature is as low as -35 degree C or even lower in many places. Forest is literally frozen during that time. This is quite different from dry deciduous forest in India. Although trees don’t grow they still store the old sequestered carbon in stem, root, branch, etc. Leaves fall down and they release carbon again into the atmosphere. But that is negligible and not a matter of concern from global warming point of view.
The choice of species should be based on climatic condition, socio-economic aspects, cultural aspects and land-owner’s preferences. It is very difficult to assess the carbon sequestration by trees in unmanaged forest land because in an unmanaged forest land you have many competitors and they all affect a tree’s growth. Therefore, if you would like to select an indigenous species only because of its carbon sequestration potential then that will not be a very good choice. You should take into account the multifunctional aspect of the trees or forest. Also, attention should be placed on long gap in harvesting periods and re-plantations. In addition, special attention should be placed on developing mixed forests, not a monoculture. It increases the biodiversity, resists forest pests, etc. There is one study ‘Carbon Sequestration Potential of Trees in and around Pune City’ by Ms. Archana Warran & Dr. Ankur patwardhan. You can have a look and may find some useful information.
Hi Soumitri, I thank you for sharing this paper. It is really well written I am expecting more from you soon. Just few quick comments:
First, forest has a great possibility to mitigate the global warming no matter which types of forests we grow.
Second, from the carbon market point of view, CDM forestry is not that attractive because of the long time period that is inbuilt with any kind of forestry project. Of course, we can use some first growing species but that does not solve all the problems. Other options like REDD should be on voluntarily basis by the countries rather than market driven since market cannot solve all the problems. If countries are encouraged to avoid deforestation and degradation because there is a market for carbon then what will happen when that market collapses? Will we again go back to the age of emissions’ from forestry? Therefore, we need committed mindsets irrespective of what market benefits us.
Third, GIS is good tool for monitoring deforestation and degradation but the assessment should be authentic. FSI has been using GIS for long time but their data is not reliable. There are doubts that they are including agricultural land or agroforestry lands. They are claiming the increase in the forest cover but in reality we are losing out our natural forest and gaining plantation forest. This is not sustainable! The biggest problem is the centralized forest department with lack of capacity in the country that you have also highlighted. What is the way out from them in near future?
Fourth, in a country like India forest should be used for multifunctional purposes. We do not need any silvicultural operations in National Parks but still we could earn money from tourism. We simply cannot afford a luxury by setting aside forest land and doing nothing. Forest should also be used for generating energy as we are an energy hungry country and the demand for energy is growing rapidly. Bioenergy has a great potential but again underutilized in India. CDM forestry could be difficult to implement but growing energy plantation should be encouraged. Energy plantation has more benefits than any other alternative energy sources like solar, wind, etc.
Anyway, it seems we are heading towards interesting discussions that are really essential in this era of scientific literacy.
At TERI, I am working in the climate change division where I look at the issues in the area of forestry, biodiversity, climate change and sustainable development.
Anandan, you rightly mentioned that invasive species are an important threat to the natural remaining forests in the country from both the ecological and livelihoods perspective. I would be keen to learn from your experience in monitoring degradation.
Satya, while carbon sequestration is an important consideration, planning any forestry strategy in natural forests would primarily and more importantly consider the livelihood benefits to the forest-dependent communities. The carbons sequestration potential of few tree species has been studied by different people/researchers. It can also be derived from the biomass assessments and can take into consideration various ‘carbon’ pools like just the above ground biomass and/or below ground biomass, soil organic carbon, and others.
Without going into details, I would just reiterate that carbon sequestration from the forestry sector is becoming more and more important, particularly from the international stand, and it won’t be just the issues of deforestation and degradation but afforestation and reforestation, sustainable forest management, wood products and others that would take centrestage in the coming years.
I appreciate the much needed discussion on this serious issue (Climate Change and forests in India). Since I have been working on invasive alien species, I would like to share my experience in the Western Ghats range of mountains and in several forests of the Eastern Ghats in southern Tamilnadu. Studies have been conducted by me in these mountain areas. I was lucky enough to get technical support from the University of IOWA, USA for my research studies on mountain ecosystem and biodiversity. After three years in the field, I have come to a conclusion that the major threat to mountain ecosystem and only one third of our ancient forests and natural vegetation remain in pristine condition today due to iinvasive alien species and land conversion. My present study is aimed at monitoring mountain degradation requiring use of high resolution satellite imagery and mapping of infested areas (including tropical rain forests and Shola forests) in the region. What are the strategies to protect our ancient forests? Joint Forest Management is an appreciable initiative. Streamlining Forest Protection Law is still under debate in India. But, above all, involving indigenous communities in forest protection in collaboration with the Forest Department will be inevitable. We need more discussions on this vital issue. I agree with Satya Prakash Mehra that indigenous species show maximum sequestering. Introduced non native trees have degraded our ecosystem. Members can share their experiences in reducing emissions and successful conservation practices.
Dear Soumitri, I read your contribution. Informative on the burning issue. I have one query, is there any studies on the specific plant species (Indian Scenario, Dry deciduous tropical forests) which are helpful in sequestering Carbon-di-oxide in Indian concern. Such studies will be definitely helpful in deciding which indigenous species is well suited for any specific place for plantation (afforestation/ reforestation).
I would like to give examples from Rajasthan, we all know that it has dry deciduous forests. In particular months the forests are completely devoid of green leaves. Only woody structures are there. At that time how much sequestering is going on.... which indigenous species is showing maximum sequestering.. that is very important..
Replies
Pradipta Halder said:
Thanks a lot for sharing your research. It is very interesting to know that you are working on this complex topic. I would appreciate if you could share more about your findings. For example, which are the main alien invasive species? What are their effects on the native species? What is the broader picture like who introduced them and why? I have never worked on this subject but participated in some lectures. I can say that the conflict between exotic and native species is purely temporal. What is an exotic species? What if a species came in India 200 years ago and now it is well accepted into the ecosystem? What was the vegetation composition in the Western Ghats 10000 years ago? I agree with you that invasive species are great threats to biodiversity but they are not always harmful if we could manage them properly. Sometimes exotic species can grow faster than the native species and could be useful for forest industries. So, instead of taking a biased stand against them we should be more cautious.
Now coming back to the protecting our ancient forests (especially the old growths). They are very important for all ecological concerns and we must ensure that they survive the present and the coming ages. But we should also create old growths through forest management planning. During final felling we can leave certain number of trees per ha of forest land and over the time it will result into some old growth patches, may not be a continuous forest cover of old growths. This kind of practice is very common in the developed countries although they have been highly criticized for their intensive mechanized forestry practices. All these are possible only when we are aware of the importance of the ancient forests. It is not only the responsibility of the forest department; the public should also come forward to save the ancient forests. In India, we have plethora of laws but the problem is the implementation which needs collective actions from all the stakeholders. We must reduce poverty and illiteracy in all the forest fringe areas otherwise we can’t get the desired results. I do not have much idea about the tribal bill (has it been passed in the parliament?). I think it will be a real challenge if they get ownerships of forest land but fail to maintain it.
Pradipta
You have raised a very interesting point that is quite common when we debate about ‘evergreen vs. deciduous’ forests. I am not going into the details of that debate rather trying to share my thoughts on the question that you have raised. When trees have no leaves they simply don’t grow. Evergreen forests like Pine and Spruce in boreal condition also don’t grow in winter although they have leaves. Winter in boreal condition is very harsh and temperature is as low as -35 degree C or even lower in many places. Forest is literally frozen during that time. This is quite different from dry deciduous forest in India. Although trees don’t grow they still store the old sequestered carbon in stem, root, branch, etc. Leaves fall down and they release carbon again into the atmosphere. But that is negligible and not a matter of concern from global warming point of view.
The choice of species should be based on climatic condition, socio-economic aspects, cultural aspects and land-owner’s preferences. It is very difficult to assess the carbon sequestration by trees in unmanaged forest land because in an unmanaged forest land you have many competitors and they all affect a tree’s growth. Therefore, if you would like to select an indigenous species only because of its carbon sequestration potential then that will not be a very good choice. You should take into account the multifunctional aspect of the trees or forest. Also, attention should be placed on long gap in harvesting periods and re-plantations. In addition, special attention should be placed on developing mixed forests, not a monoculture. It increases the biodiversity, resists forest pests, etc. There is one study ‘Carbon Sequestration Potential of Trees in and around Pune City’ by Ms. Archana Warran & Dr. Ankur patwardhan. You can have a look and may find some useful information.
Pradipta
carbonpune.pdf
First, forest has a great possibility to mitigate the global warming no matter which types of forests we grow.
Second, from the carbon market point of view, CDM forestry is not that attractive because of the long time period that is inbuilt with any kind of forestry project. Of course, we can use some first growing species but that does not solve all the problems. Other options like REDD should be on voluntarily basis by the countries rather than market driven since market cannot solve all the problems. If countries are encouraged to avoid deforestation and degradation because there is a market for carbon then what will happen when that market collapses? Will we again go back to the age of emissions’ from forestry? Therefore, we need committed mindsets irrespective of what market benefits us.
Third, GIS is good tool for monitoring deforestation and degradation but the assessment should be authentic. FSI has been using GIS for long time but their data is not reliable. There are doubts that they are including agricultural land or agroforestry lands. They are claiming the increase in the forest cover but in reality we are losing out our natural forest and gaining plantation forest. This is not sustainable! The biggest problem is the centralized forest department with lack of capacity in the country that you have also highlighted. What is the way out from them in near future?
Fourth, in a country like India forest should be used for multifunctional purposes. We do not need any silvicultural operations in National Parks but still we could earn money from tourism. We simply cannot afford a luxury by setting aside forest land and doing nothing. Forest should also be used for generating energy as we are an energy hungry country and the demand for energy is growing rapidly. Bioenergy has a great potential but again underutilized in India. CDM forestry could be difficult to implement but growing energy plantation should be encouraged. Energy plantation has more benefits than any other alternative energy sources like solar, wind, etc.
Anyway, it seems we are heading towards interesting discussions that are really essential in this era of scientific literacy.
Pradipta
At TERI, I am working in the climate change division where I look at the issues in the area of forestry, biodiversity, climate change and sustainable development.
Anandan, you rightly mentioned that invasive species are an important threat to the natural remaining forests in the country from both the ecological and livelihoods perspective. I would be keen to learn from your experience in monitoring degradation.
Satya, while carbon sequestration is an important consideration, planning any forestry strategy in natural forests would primarily and more importantly consider the livelihood benefits to the forest-dependent communities. The carbons sequestration potential of few tree species has been studied by different people/researchers. It can also be derived from the biomass assessments and can take into consideration various ‘carbon’ pools like just the above ground biomass and/or below ground biomass, soil organic carbon, and others.
Without going into details, I would just reiterate that carbon sequestration from the forestry sector is becoming more and more important, particularly from the international stand, and it won’t be just the issues of deforestation and degradation but afforestation and reforestation, sustainable forest management, wood products and others that would take centrestage in the coming years.
Soumitri
I appreciate the much needed discussion on this serious issue (Climate Change and forests in India). Since I have been working on invasive alien species, I would like to share my experience in the Western Ghats range of mountains and in several forests of the Eastern Ghats in southern Tamilnadu. Studies have been conducted by me in these mountain areas. I was lucky enough to get technical support from the University of IOWA, USA for my research studies on mountain ecosystem and biodiversity. After three years in the field, I have come to a conclusion that the major threat to mountain ecosystem and only one third of our ancient forests and natural vegetation remain in pristine condition today due to iinvasive alien species and land conversion. My present study is aimed at monitoring mountain degradation requiring use of high resolution satellite imagery and mapping of infested areas (including tropical rain forests and Shola forests) in the region. What are the strategies to protect our ancient forests? Joint Forest Management is an appreciable initiative. Streamlining Forest Protection Law is still under debate in India. But, above all, involving indigenous communities in forest protection in collaboration with the Forest Department will be inevitable. We need more discussions on this vital issue. I agree with Satya Prakash Mehra that indigenous species show maximum sequestering. Introduced non native trees have degraded our ecosystem. Members can share their experiences in reducing emissions and successful conservation practices.
I would like to give examples from Rajasthan, we all know that it has dry deciduous forests. In particular months the forests are completely devoid of green leaves. Only woody structures are there. At that time how much sequestering is going on.... which indigenous species is showing maximum sequestering.. that is very important..