Timber Production Potential of Trees on Farmlands

Abstract

In the efforts to protect the natural forests, the policies and regulations in India have discouraged the usage of wood or timber, especially in the construction sector. Despite all, wood usage in India is high, and the country is a net importer of wood. A glance at the wood production scenario revealed that Trees Outside Forests (TOFs) is a major source (93%) of wood in India. The Central Public Works Department, Government of India has reverted to encourage wood usage in construction by revoking the ban on wood usage in its works. This will have reverberations in the demand–supply of timber of India, and the timber resources are also skewed geographically. In this context, this paper analyzes the timber production potential of trees on farmlands, i.e. agroforestry, with existing datasets. It seems that the actual potential of timber production was 216.26 million cu.m. in 2013, which is far less than the actual wood used in construction, furniture, and agricultural implements (420.18 million cu.m). Even the projected estimates also indicate that there is a need to encourage timber-based agroforestry. Till date, fast-growing tree species were promoted in farmlands, and there is a need to shift towards longer-rotation tree species in agroforestry. Thus, it will be beneficial in the long run on both ecologically and economically. This paper details the bottlenecks involved in timber production through agroforestry and recommends the policy level changes required to facilitate the adoption of agroforestry among farmers.