MINISTRY OF YOUTH & SPORTS

February 2012

MODULE 4: FORESTRY and
ENVIRONMENT

MODULE 4: FORESTRY and ENVIRONMENT
Forestry relates to the care or management of forest whether they are natural or artificial.
Policy: relates to what the government is trying to achieve.
History: about 50% of the land in Fiji is covered by forests. The forestry department of Fiji was established in
1938.

Production Forest 227620 ha (12.4%)
Non Commercial Forest 224990 ha (12.3%)
Formerly grassland areas now forested 52000 ha (2.8%)

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF FORESTRY.

Employment For example Tropic Pine Industry employs 300 people directly and 300 people on contract basis.

Fuel as much as 50% of a countries total energy demands are supplied by forests.

Foreign exchange export earnings are also from forest products such as timber, wood chips (wood pulp which
is turned into paper and chip board).

Logging Lease Rent landowners are always compensated for the trees logged from their land.


SOME VALUES OF FORESTS

Timber and wood products - Worldwide consumption of wood was 2.5 billion cubic metres in 1976 and
increased moreover.

2. Energy - As much as 50% of many countries total energy demands are supplied by forests.

3. Hydrology - Forests regulate both water supply and quality containing adequate water levels and
reducing flooding.

4. Soil - Forests protect soil from erosion, and conserving nutrients.

5. Wild Life Habitat.- Most of the animals live in forests.

6. Climate - Areas of forests receive more rainfall than areas without rainforests.

7. Medicine - 20 -25% of prescription medicines are presently derived from tropical forests.

8. Scientific Value

9. Air - Plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen during photosynthesis.

10. Indigenous People native rainforests people have adapted well to their environment.

11. Recreation, leisure, relaxation forests provide areas of unstructured natural growth.



Types of Forestry:

1. Protection Forestry
- Covers the aspect of forestry concerned with the prevention of soil erosion, maintenance of soil fertility, etc.
- On occasions more positive action may be called for by the planting of trees in order to prevent soil erosion
and deterioration.

2. Production Forestry
Covers the productive role of the forest in providing timber, firewood, etc. to the community and in addition
the building up of an export trade.

3. Amenity Forestry
- is a new aspect associated with forestry development in Fiji in terms of recreation.

REASONS FOR AFFORESTATION /REAFFORESTATION

In Fiji forest trees cover of the nations total land area.
Food, shelter and various materials are derived from trees whether directly or indirectly as in traditional way of
life. Trees are useful for the future generation who will greatly benefit.

WAYS OF PLANTING TREES.

PRETREATMENT OF SEEDS.

This is the process of getting seeds to germinate in less time than they normally would take.
There are four suggested methods:
1. Burning with acid
2. File or clip off part of the seed coat scarificing
3. Hot water dip immerse in boiling water for a given length of time.
4. Dip in cold water for 24 hours.

Scarify: to abrade, scratch, or modify the surface for increasing water absorption as to impervious seed coat.

SEEDLING PRODUCTION IN A NURSERY

PREPARATION OF SEED BEDS
.
Construct a box, 1 meter wide and 6 inches deep with wooden plants or bamboo material. The length of the
box will be your decision.
Fill the bottom 2 inches of the box with gravel or soil particles.
Fill the top 4 inches of the box with fresh-water-sand.
1. Flatten surface and water seedbed thoroughly with fresh water.
SOWING
a) Bury seed according to its thickness when sowing.
b) Spread seeds evenly on seed bed.
c) Place seed boxes under well ventilated greenhouse.
d) Keep the bodes most by regularly watering as required.
POTTING
A) Sieve the forest black soil to a fine tilth.
B) Mix thoroughly with sand.
C) Mix thoroughly with fertilizer (NPK 3:3:1)
PRICKING OUT AND TRANSPLANTING
A) Water seedbeds, seed boxes and pots thoroughly, before pricking or transplanting of seedling.
B) Make a hole in the soil before transplanting by using a dibber, etc.
C) Use a hand spade/fork to loosen the soil around the plant.
D) Insert the plant into the hole in the soil, trays or pot plants carefully.
E) Trim up the soil around the plant using your fingers and the dibbling stick.
F) To facilitate planting, long tap roots can trimmed/cut off to promote fibrous root system.


HARDENING OFF/ACCLIMATISATION
- Process of gradually exposing the plants to outside conditions to prepare them to take on that condition
without being stressed.
a) Between 1 1 months after pricking, remove part of the shade so that plants receive more light.
b) Remove some more shade after another week.
c) Completely remove shade within the period of 1 month.
d) Cut down watering from twice a day to once a day.

ASEXUAL /VEGETATIVE PLANT PROPAGATION

This method of propagation involves the propagation of offspring from the vegetative parts of the parent
plant(s).
For examples are:

tubers yams, potatoes
suckers dalo, pineapples, banana
bulbs onions, garlic
rhizomes ginger, turmeric
cuttings cassava, sugarcane, flowers
leaf cuttings cactus, xerophytes
root cuttings - breadfruit
stolen offsets spider orchid


Advantage and Disadvantages of Asexual Propagation.

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
1. Offspring remain the same as parent plant 1. Planting materials too bulky to carry
2. Shorter growth period till maturity 2. High risks in spreading diseases rapidly as a
result of poor selection criteria or mistakes
3. Faster method of plant improvement 3. requires correct knowledge and skills
4. A combination of one plant type can be grown
on one root stock
4. more space required in the nursery area
5. Hazards of fertilizers use is avoided 5. seedlings may take longer to develop
6. Results can be determined in advance by
careful observations and selection
6. propagation of certain plants are limited to
the right season before any successful
propagation is possible.


Advantage and Disadvantages of Sexual Propagation.

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
1. A sure method of crop improvement as new
varieties can be developed through
hybridization.
1. Offspring not identical to parents and
therefore hard to maintain pure lines.
2. self pollination results in pure lines 2. slower method of achieving a product as it
takes years for a plant from seeds to reach
maturity
3. Seeds are easier to handle, store and
transport.
3. disease spread via seeds are hard to detect
and are easily spread in this way
4. cheaper method of propagation 4. pollination agents are needed or the chance
of an unfertilized seed may be high
5. Seed embryo more viable than buds when
stored.
5. Proper storage of seeds is required in order
for it to remain viable for long
6. Seedlings require a smaller nursery area to
germinate and grow.
6. the results produced from seeds are
sometimes inconsistent and unreliable


Asexual plant propagation can be done using various methods illustrated below.

1. Cuttings
2. Budding
3. Grafting
4. Marcotting
5. Layering

1. Cuttings

It involves removing a mature bunch with nodes and placing it in a suitable medium for growth of roots and shoots to
develop into a new plant.

Using: roots, shoots (hard wood, semi-hard wood, hard wood), leaves CUTTINGS
2. Budding

Budding involves the growing of the bud from a selected stem(scion) onto the stem of another plant (root stock).
This method is practiced in cases where the stock has vigorous roots but have poor quality fruits, while the scion has less
vigorous root systems but high yielding. Therefore the result of this budding activity or joining of the two plants would
combine both useful properties: high yielding and vigorous root system.
This operation is usually done at the beginning of the rainy season.
Example of plants that can be propagated by budding: citrus, mangoes, guava, etc.

Advantages of budding
faster growth of plant
increase crop production
cheaper method of propagation

Steps in Budding
1. Remove the bud from the selected nature brunch of a high yielding plant using a sharp budding knife.
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2. On a selected root stock consisting of vigorous root system, make a T cut in the bark.
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3. Insert the bud into the prepared T cut by lifting the flaps of the bark
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4. Close the bark onto the inserted bud, cover it with paraffin wax and wrap it with budding tape to support it and
prevent it from dehydration.
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Remove the budding tape gradually and cut off the parent plant so that the root stock can straighten prior to field
planting

What is scion?
This is the selected branch containing the shoot of other plants which a bud is taken from or is attached to the root stock
to grow into a new plant.

What is the root stock?
It is the lower stem with roots in the soil where the scion will be attached to grow on.

Grafting

This involves the growing of a scion of one type of plant onto the root stock of another plant of the same species.

For example: sweet Batiri orange scion grafted on to the root stock of a lemon plant.
Advantages of budding
Fast maturing
Easy method

Types of Grafts:
V shaped or wedge grafting
Diag:







Slant (bevel) or angle grafting
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Cleft grafting
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Procedures:
1. Saw off branches squarely
2. Split the branches down the centre using a grafting tool (4-5cm cleft)
3. Drive the wedge into the centre of the cleft.
4. Cut 10cm scion
5. cut the lower end into a wedge shape
6. The outer side should be thicker than the inner side to ensure cambium contact.
7. Match the cambium layers of scion and rootstock.
8. Seal it with grafting wax.
9. Secure graft with grafting tape.

Layering

There are two main types of layering.

Ground layering this involves the bending of a shoot parallel to the soil and making a small cut on the lower side of the
stem and pegging is down and burring it to enable root development to occur before it is cut off from the parent plant
and transplanted elsewhere.
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Aerial layering (Marcotting) this involves the ring bucking or incisions made on a selected branch and sterile soil
medium is tied around the ringbark or cutts held up by clear plastic. As the roots emerge, the marcot can be cut of from
the parent plant with roots intact and planted else where.

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AGROFORESTRY
Agroforestry is a practice where trees or shrubs are grown on the same land management unit with agricultural crops
and or animals,
IMPORTANCE OF AGROFORESTRY
The land is used more effectively and efficiently
Trees utilized for manure, stakes, mulch, food for animals, shade for plants, animals and the farmer too
Provides firewood
Provides greater variety of cash products such as banana, mango, and coconut with the agricultural produce such as
taro, cassava, ginger, milk, meat, draft work.
Agroforestry has short term and long term products.
Provides ground cover so erosion is lessened and water is conserved
Provides habitat for beneficial organisms like butterflies, lizards, toads, spiders, ants etc.

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
It has been defined as "an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific
application that will last over the long term:
- Examples

IMPORTANCE
- Satisfy human food and fiber needs
- Enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends
- Make the most efficient use of non-renewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where
appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls
- Sustain the economic viability of farm operations
- Enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.
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NATURAL RESOURCES AND THEIR INTER-RELATIONSHIP.
The soil particles when combined together forms a mass of materials called land. The land holds everything on earth.
Forest trees depends on soil and water as a source of nutrients.
The products of decay: organic matter and humus, improve the soil texture and structure.
TYPES OF EROSION AND THEIR CONTROL.
- The purpose of soil conservation is to slow the loss of top soil by wind and water erosion and to prevent the loss
of nutrients.

Water Erosion
1. Sheet erosion uniform removal of thin layer of top soil caused by rain water runoff.
Control: mulching and strip cropping.

2. Gully erosion occurs when the water runoff is great enough on soft land area opening V or U
shaped drains or gully.
Control: construct contour bunds.
3. Splash erosion occurs when there is a heavy down pour of rain onto a bare soil surface.
Control: is by mulching and planting cover crops plants which can quickly grow and cover the soil
preventing it from being exposed to the agents of soil erosion.
4. River bank erosion undercutting of stream banks by water causing large masses of soil to be lost.
Control: plant trees along the banks of the river.
5. Coastal erosion when soils on our coastal area are being washed away by action of waves.
Control: plant mangrove trees along coastal lines and construct sea walls where possible.
6. Wind erosion occurs on soil where there is little vegetation to break the force of the wind and hold
the soil. Strong wind picks up the particles and deposits it elsewhere.
Control: plant cover crops.
EROSION CONTROL METHODS
1. Practice contour cultivation techniques and contour planting on gentle slopes. Terraces can be constructed
on steeper slopes. Terraces slow the downhill flow of water reducing erosion.

2. Keep the land covered with a crop or ground cover at all times. Cover crops can be used as green manures
later on to improve soil fertility.

3. If possible, keep the remains of the old crop on the surface of the soil to break the force of rain and wind.

4. Sand dunes which are moved around by wind can be stopped by planting trees and grasses on the windward
side.

5. Rows of wind resistant trees can be planted to act as wind breaks in areas where strong wind is prevalent.

6. Avoid ploughing on hill sides with heavy machinery.

7. Avoid ploughing when the soil is too dry. Dry soil is easily pulverised and carried away by wind.

8. Avoid over cultivation; practice zero tillage methods of cultivating crops.

9. Avoid cultivation of land during wet weather conditions.

10. Practice agro-forestry.

CONSERVATION PRACTICES.
1. Contour practices water losses and erosion are lessened where contouring is practiced. This is farming on
the land at right angles to the direction of the slope. Effectiveness depends on the terraces and ridges left
after cultivation and on the method of tillage.

2. Strip cropping practice of growing rows of crop in alternate strips with a cover crop. For example:
legumes in the dense cover provided by the cover crop stops run-off and erosion from adjoining strips of
crops.

3. Terracing slope land that cannot be affectively protected by other conservation practices may be terraced.
A terrace is a step like construction used to slow down the flow of water down slopes.

4. Cultural practices These are practices such as zero tillage, intercropping, mulching, crop rotation and
shifting cultivation. They help in reducing soil erosion, avoiding the exposure of soil to rain, wind and
sunlight, maximise the use of soil, favour weeds and insect pest control and help improve the physical
characteristic of the soil. They are also cheaper in the long run and are pollution free.

5. Ground Cover keep the ground covered with a crop of ground cover at all times. To hold the soil against
wind and water erosion and to increase water infiltrating into the soil.

6. Intelligent Lumbering Timber cutting should be done selectively so as to leave some trees behind to hold
the soil from erosion.

7. Replanting of Trees/reforestation planting of trees on areas that has already being logged will reduce soil
erosion, improve environmental balance (habitats) and is a worthy investment for the future.