Rational Approach to Forest Productivity

Productivity in relation to forests needs to be defined properly, yield of wood alone through silvicultural operations is not a correct expression of forest productivity. Various direct and indirect productions obtained from the forest need to be accounted for when calculating productivity of a forest. There is need for devising some rational formula for calculating productivity index. This formula should be able to accommodate the manipulatable factors like soil and biotic factors. Modern scientific developments can influence forest productivity considerably and hence it can be classed as real or induced also. Depending on the objective of management of forest system, forestry may have to be recognized as'Environmental Forestry' and 'Production Forestry.' The concept of productivity in both will not be the same. Biotic factor treatment concept needs to be adopted and practised to enable forests to yield their full potential of productivity. In programmes of increasing productivity through plantations, wasteland development and normal forestry practices ecological considerations need to be scrupulously taken into account.