According to "Forest law", forest plans in Japan are formulated at various
levels to ensure appropriate management of Japanese forests. The following
is some targets for improvement of forest and plantation resources. Over a
20 year period, the are in trees should increase by 10,000 ha. Does good
forest management include "planting" for the future?
________________________________________________________________
JAPAN 1994 2014
________________________________________________________________
-------------------ha----------------
Man-made Plantation
single storied 10,650,000 10,620,000
multi-stored 190,000 880,000
Natural Forest
Tended forest 960,000 2,490,000
non-tended forest 12,740,000 10,560,000
Total 24,540,000 24,550,000
__________________________________________________________________
In Alabama, we have no "Forest law" but some landowners do follow "best
management" practices. The following is one estimate of how forest
management will change by the year 2010 (due mainly to economic incentives).
Over a 20 year period, the area in trees might increase by 9,000 ha due
mainly to planting pine trees.
____________________________________________________________________
ALABAMA 1990 2010
____________________________________________________________________
-------------------ha----------------
Man-made Pine Plantation 1,274,000 2,370,000
Natural Pine 1,972,000 1,462,000
Natural pine-hardwood 1,483,000 1,091,000
Natural upland hardwood 3,018,000 2,854,000
Natural bottomland hardwood 1,008,000 987,000
Total 8,755,000 8,764,000
______________________________________________________________________
For Australia, I do not have similar data for 1990 nor do I have any
estimates for 2010. Some suggest Australia will have more land in forests in
2010, others predict less. The outcome will likely depend on the rate of
tree planting. By the end of 1989, there were only about 56,350 ha of
plantations on private land in Tasmania. Some are hoping for a plantation
establishment rate of 6,000 ha/yr on private land in Tasmania. However,
Christopher Dean suggests that private individuals in Tasmania are still
converting forests to agriculture (about 20% of private timberland harvested
in Tasmania (1991/92) was converted to cropland/pastures?). For Australia,
FAO figures below suggest a loss in forests of 183,000 ha/yr (is this also
due to conversion to pastureland?). Can anyone fill in the blanks in the
table below or do we just rely on various opinions regarding tree planting
and agricultural conversion of forests in Australia?
__________________________________________________________________
AUSTRALIA 1980-83 1990 2010
__________________________________________________________(goals)_
---------------ha----------------
Man-made plantations 818,000 ?????????? ??????????
Natural Forest 40,840,000 ?????????? ??????????
Total (FAO) 41,658,000 39,837,000 ??????????
_______________________________________________________________________
About 25% of Tasmania (1,727,000 ha) is in World Heritage/National
Park/other Reserves.
==============================================================
David South
School of Forestry
Auburn University, AL 36849-5418
dsouth@forestry.auburn.edu
334-844-1022
334-844-1084 (FAX)
http://www.forestry.auburn.edu/coops/sfnmc/sfnmc.html
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"Here was my chance. Biltmore could be made to prove what America did not
yet understand, that trees could be cut and the forest preserved at one and
the same time."
Gifford Pinchot
Consulting Forester
Biltmore Estate
1892-1895
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