FAO committee on forestry
African forestry commission
At its fifty-first session the FAO Council authorized the Director-General to establish under Article VI-2 of the Constitution, on an ad hoc basis, a committee of the whole on forestry to examine the implications of the proposal to be placed before the Fifteenth Session of the FAO Conference for the creation of a Forestry Department as well as the Director-General's suggestions for any strengthening of work in the forestry field. This committee was to meet in the early part of 1969, so that its report would be available to the spring sessions of the Programme and Finance Committees and to the fifty-second session of the FAO Council.
The Director-General acted accordingly, and an ad hoc FAO Committee on Forestry held 11 meetings in Rome from 25 to 31 March 1969. Representatives of 48 Member Nations and Associate Members participated, together with two representatives of the United :Nations and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and four observers from the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, the World Federation of Trade Unions and the Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux.
The representatives were welcomed by P. Terver, Assistant Director-General, Development Department of FAO, on behalf of Director-General A.H. Boerma, who was away from Rome. Mr. Terver is a former member of the Forestry and Forest Industries Division.
The committee elected A.W.H. Needler (Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Forestry, Canada) as chairman, F. Tomulescu (Deputy Minister of Forest Economy, Romania), M.H. Djazirei (Undersecretary for Forestry, Range and Lands, Iran) and A.K. Owusu-Afriyie (Chief Conservator of Forests, Ghana) as vice-chairmen. C.E. Holscher (U.S.A.) was appointed rapporteur.
Current activities of FAO in the field of forestry and forest industries
REGULAR PROGRAMME
The committee noted the current Regular Programme activities of the Forestry and Forest Industries Division, in particular the role which the division is playing in servicing the Regional Forestry Commissions, the emphasis being placed on manpower training and education, the work being undertaken as part of the Indicative World Plan (IWP), studies of the relationships between production forestry and social benefits, activities in connexion with forest tree improvement, its promotion of exchange of information between countries on product demand and availability, and its various activities in the field of forest industries. The committee also considered that publications prepared by the division were most useful to member countries, industrialists, and other private concerns.
The committee approved of such unscheduled activities as participation in the International Biological Programme, investigating the extent and effects of shifting cultivation in forestry, and the study tours on mechanization of forest site preparation, not included in the original 1968-69 programme. It recognized the need for flexibility in order to react quickly to changing need as long as these were in line with the basic priorities laid down by the FAO Conference.
The committee deplored the failure of the division to publish some of the important documents it had prepared, and suggested that it might be advisable to precede the formal and elaborate publication of documents with a mimeographed edition. It realized, however, that the problem of funds for publication was common to all FAO divisions and is a question that should be taken up by the FAO Conference. The committee welcomed the Organization's possibilities of publishing jointly with commercial publishers and industrial enterprises.
The committee noted with satisfaction that the Organization was in the process of collecting and systematizing the considerable amount of available information on the utilization of tropical hardwoods, and that this subject was already on the agenda of the second session of the Committee on Forest Development in the Tropics due to be held in October 1969.
The committee emphasized that it considered the division's work on logging and transport to be basic, but some members felt that those aspects which were connected with marine transport could be handled by other agencies.
The committee recognized that priorities had to be established in the division's activities in the field of forest gene resources, but suggested certain tropical species that should be included in this programme.
The committee urged that continued attention be given to land-use planning for forestry, and strongly supported the need to collaborate in such planning, particularly with agriculture.
The committee expressed concern over the postponement, because of budgetary restrictions, of some of the activities which had been planned for the current biennium. It regretted, for instance, that the division had postponed work on bark utilization. It appreciated that a considerable amount of work on this subject was being done outside FAO, but urged that FAO watch carefully to see that these investigations are continued at an acceptable level.
FIELD OPERATIONS
The committee was advised on the scope of the division's field programme and the wide range of sources of aid of which the division was availing itself to implement it. It approved of the tendency of the United Nations Development Programme (Special :Fund) to sanction an increasing number of smaller, often first phase projects, which avoided the commitment of considerable counterpart contributions by recipient governments prior to ascertaining in detail the feasibility of more ambitious and costly projects.
The committee recognized that the duration of many projects was often increased through ad hoc project extension and through technical assistance. It felt, however, that it would be desirable if some projects, particularly those connected with research in tree-breeding and silvicultural practices, were planned from the start for longer periods than are usually accepted by UNDP.
The committee drew the attention of the Director-General of FAO to the fact that in some forestry activities subprofessional level technical staff could be employed to better use than highly qualified professional staff. It urged FAO and UNDP to facilitate greater use of these personnel in the execution of their field programmes and to organize appropriate seminars and training centres to ensure the qualification of these personnel. Such training is one of the permanent aims of FAO's Technical Assistance Programme.
The committee underlined the importance of involving potential investors at the earliest possible stage and to the fullest practicable extent in preinvestment and industrial feasibility surveys. It noted the steps which the division has progressively taken to ensure this, among them the consultation with private firms in the course of the Seminar on Forest Inventory held at Rome in 1967; the establishment of the Subgroup on Forestry and Forest Industries, of some 20 of the largest international forest industry concerns, within the FAO/Industry Cooperative Programmer and the division's close links with the FAO/IBRD Cooperative Programme and the regional development banks. The committee recognized that the decision whether or not to involve private foreign investment in the development of their forest resources was one for individual countries. One delegation expressed its opposition to FAO sponsoring tile investment of private foreign capital in developing countries, and urged that the Organization abstain from endorsing such activities except at the expressed request of the borrowing country.
The committee recognized the importance of modern management techniques in the planning, execution and control of UNDP projects and expressed satisfaction in the use of network analysis in the planning of forestry field projects.
The committee noted with satisfaction the regular and increasing consultations which FAO holds with most of the major bilateral donor countries, in the interests of meeting the needs of member countries to the fullest possible extent. The committee commended those countries which had sponsored associate expert schemes and expressed the hope that they would soon be joined by other developed countries.
Establishment of Forestry Department
The committee unanimously endorsed the proposal for the establishment of a Department of Forestry under the FAO Reorganization Plan. However, many delegations expressed regret at the fact that the programme proposals concerning the new structural units of the former Technical Department had not been presented to the committee in their entirety so as to provide it with full information for determining the optimum field of activities of the Department of Forestry. The committee stated that the establishment of a Department of Forestry was essential even if the Director-General did not have at his disposal additional resources of personnel as compared with the preceding biennium. It appeared necessary to the committee that the Department of Forestry should be given a place in this Organization in accordance with the priorities which its departmental activities deserve.
It recognized the wide and pervasive development opportunities of the forestry and forest industries sector; the progress which is being made in forestry and forest industries; the new approaches being taken in the solution of forestry's problems; the growing demand for the services of FAO in the field of forestry and forest industries; and the great responsibility which has devolved upon this sector of the Organization in recent years.
The committee considered that, by changing the status of the Forestry and Forest Industries Division to a department, the Organization would be in a position to discharge its duties in the forestry and forest industries sector even more effectively than in the past, and that the Assistant Director-General of the new Forestry Department would be better able to integrate its policies with those of the Organization as a whole and to assist in the formulation of FAO'S general strategy.
The committee regretted the reduction in the number to the proposed department, but noted that this reduction must be viewed against the background of the general reorganization of the FAO, the creation of a Development Department, and the better representation of the Organization in member countries. Some delegations expressed concern over the possibility that the new FAO structure might weaken the voice of professional foresters and complicate FAO'S work on forestry.
The committee expressed concern over the situation in which the division's establishment had been reduced at a time when its change in status to a department was being given serious consideration. The committee felt that, while the staff of the Development Department would without doubt play a prominent role in the development, coordination, and orientation of field operations, the main impact on development would be obtained through the execution of the field projects themselves. Therefore, the main burden of the project work involved would remain with the department's Operations Office. The committee considered it essential that the strength of the Operations Office should be sufficiently restored as soon as possible, in order to reduce the current work load imposed on the Regular Programme staff by the operations of the field programmes.
There was general agreement on the proposed structure of the Forestry Department, although some members of the committee expressed reservations concerning the composition and location of certain units, and the naming of one of them. The committee agreed, however, to leave the resolution of these more detailed structural problems to the Director-General, in the light of experience which will be acquired during the initial period of the department's operations.
Some delegations considered that a three-divisional structure would have permitted a more logical distribution of functions, and expressed the hope that the Director-General would examine this in preparing his future programmes of work and budget.
The committee expressed the need for FAO to establish priorities in its Programme of Work and Budget in order that delegations might better review the programme accomplishments and proposals.
Proposed Programme of Work and Budget 1970-71
OFFICE OF ASSISTANT DIRECTOR-GENERAL, FORESTRY DEPARTMENT
The committee took note of the proposal for establishing a Plans Unit in the Office of the Assistant Director-General. It further noted that this unit was designed to ensure that all activities of the proposed department would be in harmony with the overall policies and objectives of FAO and coordinated with the programmes of other FAO sectors.
The committee noted that this unit should continuously assess the objectives and priorities of the Forestry Department in the light of the directives of the
Policy Advisory Bureau and coordinate Regular Programme activities with those of the field programmes. It also noted that the unit would-interpret the findings of the Indicative World Plan and identify the needs of Member Governments with regard to forestry development.
Furthermore, the committee recognized the role of the Plans Unit in assisting the Assistant Director-General to coordinate the activities of the two proposed divisions, so that they might complement each other, pursue common objectives, and follow the necessary integrated policy and programme.
The committee took note of the proposal that the regional forestry officers would, in the future, be transferred to the staff of the Regional Representatives and would work in regional teams which would be concerned with development problems on a multidisciplinary basis, but would still be able to correspond directly with the department.
The committee endorsed the intention that close working arrangements should be maintained between the department and the regional forestry officers on the staff of the Regional Representatives, and considered that the new position of these officers in a multidisciplinary task force could result in forestry being more prominently represented in the formulation of integrated development plans of countries and regions.
The committee took note that the Regional Forestry Commissions would be serviced through collaboration between headquarters and the regional organizations, but some doubts were expressed in relation to servicing the North American Forestry Commission.
The committee acknowledged the concentration, in one Operations Office, of the preparation, implementation, coordination and follow-up of all field programmes assigned to the department. It took note that the Operations Office was organized on the basis of area (regional) desks, each desk working in close relationship with an area desk of the Area Services Division in the Development Department.
Forest Resources Division
The committee attached great importance to the work proposed for the future Forest Resources Division, because it deals with the primary production of wood and other valuable forest goods and services on which forest industries and a significant portion of the human environment depend.
The committee considered that the proposed programme was comprehensive but ambitious. Some doubts were expressed as to the capacity of the division, at the proposed staffing level, to implement all the proposed projects. The committee hoped that the relinquishing of two professional posts to work in the five areas of concentration would reinforce the impact of forestry in a wider field.
From among the subjects warranting particular attention at the present time, the committee emphasized soil conservation and watershed management, recreation, gene resources development, silviculture and management of tropical forests, fire control, and education and training. It noted the need for the division to include as an integral part of its overall activities the planning and development of rural areas, where the forestry sector should work very closely with other disciplines both inside and outside FAO.
WILDLIFE AND FOREST CONSERVATION BRANCH:
The committee supported the programme of this branch and expressed the hope that all aspects of land use, including wildlife, recreation, timber growing and water production, would be closely integrated. It stressed the need for adequate public relations campaigns in countries where land-use criteria and planning have been implemented, in order to avoid any further wasteful destruction of forests.
The committee drew particular attention to the problem of land going out of agricultural production, due to the introduction of high-yielding varieties and improved cultural techniques, particularly in some of the developed countries, and also to the need to revise land-use standards from time to time as conditions change and to the possibilities of afforestation and of pasture improvement on surplus agricultural lands.
In view of the importance of protective forestry reflected in past recommendations of the Fifth World Forestry Congress and of the FAO Technical Committee on Forestry, the committee expressed regret that the post of forest hydrologist had been deleted from the 1970-71 Programme of Work. The committee also noted the need for further research and development in the problems of arid zone afforestation for the purpose of stabilizing the margins of existing deserts.
FOREST MANAGEMENT BRANCH
The committee discussed the problems of research in developing countries. Though certain kinds of research which call for expensive capital equipment or highly sophisticated techniques may be better tackled in the developed countries, the committee considered that applied research could best be done in the countries and under the ecological conditions where the results will be put into practice. It stressed the need to further the collation and dissemination of research results already available in both developed and developing countries. The possibility of attracting scientists from the developed countries to work on problems of the developing countries should be explored thoroughly. It noted that the existence of active institutes for applied research in the developing countries would ensure more effective application of research findings, strengthen associated teaching institutes, and help to retain needed professional expertise. At the same time, the committee cautioned against an excessive drain of professional manpower from forest management and development into research activities, and stressed the need for an adequate supporting structure for research institutes and for the coordination of applied research programmes within regions or subregions.
The committee agreed that more work was needed on forest management; especially of natural tropical forests, where techniques of silviculture and utilization were still inadequate.
The committee felt that the attention devoted to fast-growing species by the division over the last few years should be maintained because of the important impact on forest production in many countries, and because this is in accordance both with the needs of many forest services and with the stress given to high-yielding varieties by the Director-General.
The committee recognized the problems of maintaining the productivity of fast-growing man-made forests in second and subsequent rotations This problem is likely to recur in many countries and calls for a programme of long-term research.
The committee expressed the hope that it would soon be possible to organize an international conference on the use of fertilizers in forestry because of the apparent increasing importance of fertilizers in plantation forestry. It welcomed the proposed Study Tour on Forest Fire Control to be held in Australia in l970.
The committee stressed the need for quantitative data on the non-timber benefits to be derived from forests, so that cost-benefit analyses so often used in budget considerations would be strengthened in favour of forestry.
The committee stressed the importance of expanding the division's work on seed procurement and the development of forest gene resources. It welcomed the report of the first session of the FAO Advisory Panel on Forest Gene Resources and considered that this provided a valuable and practicable action programme. The committee endorsed the view expressed by the panel that it would be highly desirable to expand the panel membership to cover additional regions, such as Latin America, Asia, eastern Europe and west Africa. Some delegates expressed their opinion in favour of altering some of the priorities proposed by the panel, with particular reference to the priority upgrading of certain tropical hardwood species. In welcoming the proposed action programme, the, committee pointed out the need for adequate financing and staff to implement it, and hoped that it would be possible to make the necessary arrangements for this within the new structure of the Forestry Department.
FOREST LOGGING AND TRANSPORT BRANCH
Because of the basic impact of logging and transport on overall forestry development, the committee felt that this branch needed considerable strengthening. As a first step, the suppressed transport economist post should be reinstated. Other areas of strengthening are the integration of logging and transport techniques and economies in forest planning and management. An intensified programme for training labour in all fields of forest operations is also required.
While endorsing the general proposals for both logging techniques and transport economics, the committee felt that in future biennia the proposed work in cargo handling and maritime carriage of wood products might be approached through collaboration with other organizations involved in such matters. The committee suggested that the Forestry Department keep Member Nations informed about problems and progress in this sector, and stimulate action in reducing development barriers caused by inadequate handling and transport of forest products, considering especially the needs of developing countries.
FORESTRY INSTITUTIONS AND EDUCATION BRANCH
The committee noted that the linking of forest resources surveys with forestry education in this branch was purely a marriage of convenience in the interest of obtaining branches of comparable size. It recognized the desirability of keeping abreast of the application of newly developed remote sensing techniques to the forest resource inventory work of FAO.
Amplifying its views the committee emphasized the necessity of collaboration with forest industry in the planning of forest inventories to assure provision of the resource data needed for investment decision making.
The committee reiterated its opinion of forestry education as one of the most vital sectors of activity in the proposed Forestry Department and expressed the hope that it would be possible to strengthen this programme in the near future. Additional attention should be paid to education and training at the subprofessional level.
The committee noted that education should be closely associated with research on the one side and with forestry extension among rural communities on the other. It also recognized the need to improve the content of forestry education in the face of rapid advancement in science and technology and the changing role of the forestry profession. It therefore welcomed the proposal to hold a World Consultation on Forestry Education and Training in 1971.
The committee stressed that forestry education and training must be accompanied by efforts to provide employment opportunities and suitable administrative structures for absorbing increasing numbers of forestry personnel being trained in the developing countries. It therefore hoped that work in the field of forestry institutions, including the identification of viable field projects, could be strengthened.
Forest Industries and Trade Division
In reviewing the Programme of Work of the Forest Industries and Trade Division for the 1970-71 biennium, the committee expressed general agreement with the orientation and coverage of the programme. In view of the importance of the development of the forest industries to the economic progress of the developing countries, the committee endorsed the emphasis given in the programme to the technical and economic aspects of forest industries and the marketing of forest products.
The committee pointed out that the programme proposed for the division was, like that for other elements of the department, somewhat ambitious and felt that a proper selection of priorities should be undertaken to make the best use of the resources available.
PULP AND PAPER BRANCH AND MECHANICAL WOOD PRODUCTS BRANCH
The committee emphasized that the fuller utilization of the tropical hardwood forests was one of the most critical problems confronting the forestry and forest industries sector. It pointed out that this warranted not only concentrated attention by the division, but a fully integrated approach by the whole department. The committee reiterated its view that management of the forest resource and the utilization and marketing of its products are indivisible parts of the whole, and that the programmes of the two divisions will require the closest coordination.
In regard to the utilization of tropical forests for industrial purposes, the committee recognized the value of collation and analysis of existing information on the physical and chemical properties of tropical woods. It stressed, however, that though research work in this direction is still needed, practical application of the information in production and marketing is of equal importance.
The committee was advised of the programme in pulp and paper technology and development and including the increasing advice to be given to member countries of the nature and implications of the rapidly developing technology affecting the industry. Because of increasing emphasis on investment opportunities in this industry, greater concentration on interpretation, analysis, and dissemination of information is necessary.
The committee noted that the division's programme emphasized the mechanical wood industries as well as pulp and paper. The committee pointed out that the sawmilling industry was particularly suitable for the acceleration of forest industries in developing countries. Continuing attention should also be given to the rapidly growing wood-based panel industries. The forthcoming World Consultation on the Use of Wood in Housing and Structures (with emphasis on low-cost housing), to be held in 1971 in cooperation with the United Nations Centre for Housing, Building and Planning and with IUFRO, is an important feature of the programme. The committee expressed its appreciation to the Government of Canada for its offer to act as host for this consultation. It also noted that the work being carried out in member countries on the design of low-cost wooden houses had direct bearing on this part of the division's programme.
FOREST ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS BRANCH
The committee noted the emphasis given to the marketing of forest products and pointed out that this would be particularly significant in several areas. It drew attention to the importance of marketing in relation to the secondary tropical species and noted the progress being made where vigorous marketing campaigns were operating.
It pointed out that similar emphasis was needed on the use of wood for construction in some industrialized countries, and suggested that promotional campaigns among architects and engineers in the structural use of wood were needed. It was also emphasized that with the international marketing of forest products institutional aspects are becoming of greater importance to the forest industries sector.
In view of the importance of trade in forest products and its emergence as one of the major components of agricultural trade for developing countries, the committee stressed that the division's work in trade and international marketing should proceed in close cooperation with other divisions in FAO concerned with trade problems, as well as other international agencies.
The need of capital-intensive forest industries for assured wood supplies was accepted as a valid justification for the development of forest resources. The work of assisting developing countries in the negotiation of long-term timber sales was thus considered important by the committee. Minimum technical standards for ensuring the continued productivity of the forest resource were considered by the committee to be essential in such agreements. The committee also called attention to the experience available from those industrialized countries where timber supplies must come from multiple ownerships.
The committee noted that the division's efforts to standardize the collation and analysis of forestry statistics would enable increased use of electronic data processing and computer facilities. It encouraged the development and universal adoption of standardized data collection methods. It recognized the need for development of economic indicators relating forestry and the forest industries to the overall economy.
In view of the increasing emphasis on the nonwood services of forests in industrialized countries particularly, the committee considered that the division's programme in regard to the evaluation of nonmonetary benefits and their relation to benefit-cost methodology was especially relevant. It recognized the value of including in the timber trends and Indicative World Plan studies the nonwood forest benefits, which are becoming increasingly important in many of the developing countries.
The committee indicated that in its work on economics the division would need to study carefully the relationships between forest products consumption and the technological and marketing developments in substitute products, both within the field of forest products and outside it.
Medium-term programme proposals
The committee endorsed the Organization's proposals to devote more of its resources in 1972-73 to:
1. examining the characteristics of tropical woods and feasibility of industries based thereon; promoting the collecting, publication and global dissemination of research and utilization information in this area;2. investigating the problems of regenerating the tropical high forests;
3. expanding its work on seed procurement and on conservation and use of forest gene resources;
4. strengthening its activities in the field of forestry institutions;
5. examining, the problems of land use on an interdisciplinary basis;
6. conducting seminars on public relations, with particular emphasis on the problems of marketing forest products;
7. strengthening its logging and transport units;
8. furthering research activities, where needed, in developing countries;
9. examining the implications of the possibility of considerable areas of marginal agricultural land becoming available to forestry;
10. furthering research in the field of protection forestry, especially as regards forest influences.
The committee welcomed the proposal that FAO participate in the Second Development Decade of the United Nations. It considered that forestry and forest industries have an important contribution to make to the international problem-solving programmes which are to be formulated during the decade. It endorsed the proposals that the Organization should take an active part in the United :Nations Conference on Man and His Environment.
The committee strongly supported the suggestion that the Organization collect and disseminate all available information on the use of satellites in evaluation of forest resources and fire, disease and insect depredation, and any data which may be obtained from such use.
The committee requested the FAO Secretariat to take further steps to strengthen the Regional Forestry Commissions, which have a vital role to play in assisting in the formulation of appropriate forest and forest industry medium-term policies at the national level.
The committee pointed out that the department would be well equipped to provide an integrated approach to the solution of the problems of rural space and the natural and human environment. It urged that, within the overall structure of FAO, the department should play a :leading role in this field.
FAO statutory bodies in the forestry and forest industries sector
On the basis of the 1968 edition of the Directory of FAO statutory bodies, committee broadly reviewed their status and achievements in the forestry sector. It shared the concern of the FAO Council about unnecessary proliferation of statutory bodies and the need to discontinue established bodies once their purpose had been fulfilled. The committee welcomed the opportunity to transmit its views on forestry statutory bodies to the Programme Committee, which will study the matter further and report to the FAO Council at its next session.
The committee stressed the continuing importance of the Regional Forestry Commissions, which serve to articulate the action of FAO with regard to forest policy trends and related technical and economic problems. The committee recognized that, while the problems dealt with by the different Regional Forestry Commissions may differ from region to region, there are a number of problems of similar technical nature and consequently of equal interest to all regions. In view of such common areas of technical interest, the committee felt that an increased exchange of technical information, as well as the participation of experts in appropriate cases in the technical meetings, symposia, etc., organized by other regions' forestry commissions, could have a beneficial effect on the development of technical knowledge in such regions where similar technical activities are not, as yet, organized.
The committee felt that the Regional Forestry Commissions should continue to meet at regular intervals. The results of the work of the Regional Forestry Commissions are well documented in the Forestry index, published by the FAO Documentation Centre.
The committee noted that the International Poplar Commission (CIP), established under Article XIV of the FAO Constitution, was formulating proposals for its internal reorganization. These will be brought to the attention of the Director-General in due course.
The committee singled out the cooperation between FAO, the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) and ILO in the field of logging and training of forest workers as a model of fruitful inter-agency cooperation. It stressed the importance which increased labour productivity has had for the forestry sector and the attention which ILO has given to social aspects of forestry, which are often given too little attention. The committee noted with satisfaction that FAO'S cooperation with ILO had been extended to field operations and urged that this instance of collaboration be further extended and strengthened.
The committee regarded the FAO statutory bodies existing in the field of forestry as forming an integral part of the mechanism of FAO'S work. In general, they continued to be essential and productive. It requested, however, that the Director-General keep the existing bodies under review and continuously reexamine their functions, terms of reference, and periodicity of meetings.
The committee recognized that the establishment or abolition of subsidiary bodies is primarily a matter for decision by the respective parent bodies.
FAO Technical Committee on Forestry
The committee noted that the FAO Council, at its fifty-first session, had approved the adoption, on a trial basis, of arrangements for the Fifteenth Session of the FAO Conference which reduced the number of technical committees of the Conference to two: the Technical Committee on Field Programmes and the Technical Committee on Areas of Concentration. It felt strongly that the Technical Committee on Forestry, which has always met just prior to the FAO Conference, had given valuable guidance to the Organization's long-term programme in the field of forestry. The committee recognized that, because of the limitations imposed by the timing of the meetings of the Technical Committee, there had been small possibility of influencing the Programme of Work and Budget for the biennium immediately following. Therefore, the committee expressed its views with regard to the continuation, functions and timing of such a technical committee.
The committee expressed concern over the possibility that the advisory functions performed by the former Technical Committee on Forestry might be discontinued at a time when elevation of the division to a department had been proposed, entailing organizational and functional changes on which the Director-General deserved the technical guidance of competent representatives of all interested Member Nations.
The committee stressed that no international gathering on a world-wide scale, such as a World Forestry Congress, could substitute for the collective and regular contact between the FAO secretariat and senior forestry representatives of member countries on the technical committee. Within the framework of the FAO advisory machinery, no other body is available to give technical review to the programming and budgeting of FAO'S work in forestry, in coordinating bilateral and multilateral aid in this field and as an international forum for the shaping of forest policies.
The committee recommended that a standing committee on forestry be established. It should be open to participation by all Member Nations of FAO which should be represented by the heads of forest administrations or their senior representatives. It should meet at times and intervals which would enable it to give effective advice on FAO'S Programme of Work and Budget in forestry during the crucial formative stages. The committee urged the Director-General to consider the terms of reference of such a committee and the best way of establishing it in accordance with the Constitution and General Rules of the Organization. Two delegations expressed the opinion that the establishment of such a committee should be deferred until the arrangements proposed by the FAO Council for the Fifteenth Session of the Conference had been given sufficient trial.
The committee expressed the wish that, the Director-General would draw the attention of Member Nations to the desirability of including representatives of forest administrations in their delegations to the Fifteenth Session of the FAO-Conference, its technical committees, and Commission II in particular.
Seventh World Forestry Congress
The committee received with interest a report on the latest situation in regard to preparations for the Seventh World Forestry Congress. It noted that invitations to act as host for the forestry congress had been received from the governments of Argentina, Greece and the U.S.S.R., and that, following visits to these countries by FAO representatives, the governments concerned had indicated their intention to send to the Director-General of FAO full particulars regarding facilities available and arrangements proposed. Two of the governments concerned had already communicated with the Director-General :in this respect. It hoped that a final decision on the host country to be selected would be taken by the FAO Council at its session in June 1969.
In general discussion on the organization of the Seventh World. Forestry Congress, the consensus was that the number of topics to be discussed should be limited in order to permit discussion in depth; that documents accepted for :Later publication should also be limited to material that is of definite and permanent value; that documents should be translated and distributed in good time before the meeting; that oral introductions to subjects covered by main papers should be kept to a minimum; and that membership should be of individuals speaking on their personal specialist capacities and not as government representatives.
It was felt that FAO should provide continuing services between World Forest Congresses, although responsibility for each separate forestry congress must rest with the host country.
Togo was host to the second session of the African Forestry Commission from 20 to 25 January 1969 at Lomé. The meetings took place under the chairmanship of A. Meatchi, technical adviser at the Ministry of Rural Economy of Togo, and were attended by more than 70 delegates representing 26 member countries and several international organizations.¹ M. Mensah, FAO Regional Representative for Africa, represented FAO at the session and H.J. Reichardt, FAO, acted as secretary. The FAO Forestry and Forest Industries Division was represented by L. Gimenez-Quintana.
(¹ Algeria, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Dahomey, France, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Uganda, United Kingdom, Upper Volta; observers from the Organization of African Unity, the European Economic Community, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and from Canada, Denmark, Federal Republic of Germany, Norway, the United Nations Development Programme, the International Labour Organisation and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization were represented.)
Reviewing the state of forestry in the region, the commission noted that, in spite of great areas suitable and available for timber production and of low domestic consumption of processed wood, Africa's foreign trade in forest products showed a net annual deficit of about U.S.$90 million- a result of the predominance of highly processed goods being imported and of raw materials, particularly logs, being exported. This emphasized the need for an explicit policy of expanding as rapidly as possible the share in exports of processed forest products, accompanied by a concomitant decrease in exports of roundwood. Forestry was placed in the forefront of the resources upon which the region's economic and social development was based. With the great increase in demand for forest products both inside and outside the region, the development of the forestry and forest industries sector offered Member Governments an opportunity to promote overall progress, and particularly industrialization. Where economically feasible, development of this sector should be given priority over industrial projects based on imported raw materials.
The commission discussed the forestry contribution to tile Indicative World Plan for Agricultural Development. It noted with satisfaction the strong growth prospects in Africa for consumption and for export trade shown by the preliminary findings, and further stressed the desirability of developing domestic industry to supply these requirements.
In order to develop adequately the raw material basis for domestic forest industries, proper management of existing natural forests and development of appropriate plantations were essential. The need to preserve adequate areas under forest cover and to prevent agricultural expansion into areas suited to forest plantations required constant review of land-use patterns in the light of land capability surveys, supplemented by appraisals of economic and social needs which duly took into account the requirements and potentials of forestry.
Size, location and rate of establishment of plantations should be based not only on the criteria of land avail ability and growth potential but also on market possibilities. The need to develop resources of long-fibred wood was stressed, as was the need to intensify trials and selection of quick-growing species.
The commission noted with satisfaction that a start had been made in obtaining external financing for plantation establishment, but this was still a problem in many countries and further sources of foreign aid would have to be investigated.
It was recognized that fuller utilization of existing natural forest resources was hampered by the existence of numerous species often of unproved commercial value, especially in the tropical high forest. Utilization research and market intelligence and promotion were possible solutions to the problem. The former might be greatly assisted by the cooperation of research institutes in developed countries; with regard to the latter, the commission noted with interest and endorsed the efforts being undertaken to establish timber bureaux with branches in Europe and North America to provide technical market intelligence and to promote the use of lesser known tropical species.
The commission confirmed its interest in the development of national and international programmes for stabilizing and reclaiming the fringe areas of the Sahara. Some countries had already set specific goals for the recreation of natural vegetation on the edges of the Sahara and others were concentrating on sand-dune fixation. However, it was noted that one serious obstacle to the development of local programmes was insufficient extension work at village level.
The need for greatly increasing the region's forestry training facilities was recognized by the commission. In this context it was emphasized that, while under special circumstances training in advanced countries offered certain advantages, it was generally desirable that forestry training should take place in an environment as similar as possible to that of expected employment. Where national training facilities did not exist, use should preferably be made of those in adjacent countries within the region. Where such facilities were unavailable even in adjacent countries, as is the case at the professional level in French-speaking west African countries, they should be created as early as possible.
The commission emphasized the need for adequate manpower planning at all levels, and recommended further studies of methods for assessing manpower requirements. Concern was expressed over inadequate employment opportunities in a number of cases, and the commission strongly recommended that Member :Nations ensure satisfactory and secure careers within their forest services.
On the subject of forestry research the commission recognized the need for vigorous and well-oriented programmes, and noted with interest the various efforts being undertaken to coordinate research at subregional level. In this respect it noted the important role being played by the Centre technique forestier tropical and the East African Agriculture and Forestry Research Organization in coordinating forest research within the region. The commission stressed the need for more direct exchanges between visiting forest research workers and for the establishment of these exchanges on a permanent basis.
Wildlife management
The Commission's Working Party on Wildlife Management had held its third session, also at Lomé, from 15 to 19 January 1969 under the chairmanship of B. Dioum, Directeur des eaux, forêts et chasse, Senegal. The results of this session were reported to the commission, which expressed satisfaction at the progress achieved and adopted the working party's report in its entirety. The working party had discussed all aspects of wildlife management, including utilization of wildlife for protein production, the introduction of non-indigenous species, the management and development of national parks, development of infrastructure for tourism, training and research. In reviewing policies and achievements it was noted in particular that at least ten member nations had already made use of the draft African Convention for the Conservation and Management of African Wildlife in revising their legislation on national parks, wildlife and hunting. The session of the working party was followed by a study tour of national parks in Dahomey, Upper Volta and Niger, in which members of the full commission also participated.
Mediterranean and tropical forestry problems
The commission noted the progress achieved by the Joint Subcommission on Mediterranean Forestry Problems. It agreed to a change in the Subcommission's title to Joint Committee on Mediterranean Forestry Problems - Silva Mediterranea, and to changes in the terms of reference. These changes have already been agreed to by the European Forestry Commission and are now pending agreement by the Near East Forestry Commission.
The commission discussed the progress achieved by the FAO Committee on Forest Development in the Tropics. It endorsed the recommendations of the committee's first session and welcomed the fact that its own policy decisions on forest development in tropical Africa would be facilitated by the technical work being carried out.
External aid
The commission's deliberations closed with a discussion on the question of external aid to African forestry development. Satisfaction was expressed at the intensification of cooperation between bilateral and multilateral aid programmes which, among other things, had led to the employment of 50 associate experts in various fields of forestry and the planning of no less than five forestry seminars to be carried out jointly in 1969 by FAO and bilateral aid-granting agencies.
It was emphasized, however, that further large increases in aid were required to enable African forestry to develop its potential and, in view of the importance it attached to this question, the commission adopted the following resolution:
THE AFRICAN FORESTRY COMMISSION
Considering the role of African forests in meeting world timber requirements;
Considering the magnitude of regional imports of wood-based products and the regrettable discrepancy between their value and that of exports, which results in a considerable net deficit for the economy of the region;
Recognizing the major role forest industries should play in the economic development of the region;
Wishing to ensure timber production on a sustained basis in the region through the establishment of new plantations and the more rational use of natural stands;
1. Recommends to member nations endowed with natural sources of raw material to take appropriate steps to speed up its processing into finished or semifinished products before export, and urges FAO to assist by all possible means in developing the structures and conditions necessary for this industrialization;2. Requests that in granting aid to forestry programmes the respective agencies should give due regard to training and should go beyond preinvestment studies by including investment projects for the production or processing of the raw material;
3. Recommends that FAO, as executing agency for forestry programmes financed by multilateral aid, support the above request with multilateral financing institutions and -that a special programme of aid for afforestation and forest industrial development in the region be created.
