Pursuit of Sustainable Plantation Forestry

We face many challenges in managing land for economic and environmental well-being. Among these, the conceptualisation and practice of sustainability, including sustainable forest management is the most complex. Further development of plantation and farm forestry are the only ways through which the increasing mismatch between wood supply and demand can be met. Apart from this, plantation forests are playing a key role in ameliorating a broad range of environmental problems including degradation in agricultural land. Multiple values, diverse expectations, the need to achieve high production, and economic realities of managing a commercially-driven land use system, all impact on the pursuit of sustainability in forestry. The characteristics and processes governing individual elements of sustainability (e.g. productivity) change dynamically so that there is seldom an immutable reference point for the achievement of sustainability. Productivity of many managed forests is increasing over the long term, a tribute to management. The commonly perceived conflict of interest between plantation forestry and water resource availability for other purposes can be judiciously managed by sound application of available knowledge in land use decisions. Pursuit of sustainability is an ongoing effort to achieve maximum, harmonious, alignment of several elements, ranging from bio-physical factors to moral values, to foster continuous improvements in land management, environmental care and profitability. Plantation forestry must constructively and pro-actively engage in this process.