Reinventing Tropical forest Management in India

The idealised concepts of a Normal Forest and Sustained Yield (of one/two timbers) which aim at simplifying sensitive and complex ecosystems which Nature took millions of years to evolve, have failed. The conversion of multi-canopied, multi-species and multi-aged natural crops Into one-canopied. One or two species of one age gradation has missed the tropicality and its human dimension of tropical forests. This has contributed directly and indirectly to the degradation and destruction of forests, unwittingly though. The productivity, protectivity, biodiversity and humanity functions have been jeopardised. Most of all, the management has created a human tragedy for about 60 million forest dwellers in India. One ha of a natural forest can support and sustain atleast 20 tribal families. More policing, more investment, more of Man-made forests and Community Forestry; despite them the destruction has exacerbated. Tropiealising, indigenising and humanlsing Tropical Forest Management Systems, associates indigenous people with all aspects of management, make the most use of their traditional knowledge. They know more about natural forests than we foresters do. Integrate use all of Common Property Resources for the benefit of the local people. Burden of industrial wood production be subetantially transferred from Forests to Farms. Experts have to reinvent Tropical Forestry. It is fallacious to assume that the suggested approach would bring down revenue, employment and Total production. In any case, the present level of timber production (one/two species) is Dot sustainable.