4. CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE WORKING GROUP (PARALLEL SESSIONS)
To understand how data on forestry resources is collected and analysed, the participants were invited to join in parallel working sessions. As a result, a working group was set up to review the subject, along with the topic of "trees outside forests (TOF)". The session was chaired by Mr Kimse Ouedraogo of Burkina Faso with Mr Amadou Maïga, Consultant from Mali, as rapporteur.
As an introduction to the topic of forestry resources data collection, Mr Patrick So (FAO) presented a paper on the FAO Forest Department's programme entitled: "Evaluation of world forest resources, FRA 2000". The methodology implemented in the study was explained and focuses on:
_ clear definition of terms listed;
_ data collection process as well as the importance of national reports and their validation;
_ forest resources information system: FORIS;
_ dissemination of the FRA 2000 results.
The discussions centred on the day-to-day realities concerning information gathering from natural forests (superficies, volumes) and plantations.
Natural forests
According to the various speakers, it is obvious that the "forest area" is a key element and that such statistics must specify the following: ecological zones; administrative sub-divisions; forest cover change (degradation coefficient).
Concerning forest stocking, it was underlined the need to take into consideration the following parameters: the real standing volume; the volume of dead wood and woodfuels; the annual increment; the forest regeneration.
However, other participants underlined the heavy constraints in data collection of forest resources: little reliable information available; poor standardization and adjustment of the existing information; old inventories and information sources to work with; high turn-over of technical staff.
The working group stressed a few points that could be seen as recommendations, in particular, the:
_ need to put in place new forest inventories according to available national capacity;
_ need to better plan forest inventories;
_ need for an exchange of experiences between countries.
Plantations
Many countries believe that they have the administrative and technical capacity to carry out plantation work. However, maintaining and commercializing those accomplishments are now faced with a remarkable lack of financial means.
Other constraints lie in the follow-up of the completed tasks, like the measurement of the actual area planted as well as the conversion of units used (meter-hectare). More over, the efforts and results made in community forestry and village plantations are difficult to oversee and evaluate.
In addition, in relation to land tenure and ownership of trees, the following remarks were made:
_ decentralization has started in a majority of the countries clarifying the role and ownership of the resources of the state, communities and individuals (therefore forest legislation in general distinguishes between three types of forest areas: that of the State, that of communities and that of individuals);
_ agreements and contracts were set up to manage the exploitation of the planted resources and to prevent conflicts.
Trees outside forests
Most particularly in West Africa, the presence of trees is not limited to forests and other wooded lands. Therefore, it is important to take into account the reality of trees outside forests. As an introduction to this subject, a document, prepared by the FAO Forest Conservation, Research and Education Service ("Towards a better understanding of tree resources on non-forest lands") was presented.
The definition of "trees outside forests" was recalled which was proposed during an expert meeting invited by FAO (Kotka III meeting). The definition is placed in the context of already established definitions by the FAO Forestry Department.
The participants indicated their interest in the issue and its importance. Questions were raised relating to the follow-up process of such a resource and the way to use the collected data. It was noted that good reference material is missing. Such documents are essential to facilitate work of foresters interested in the subject and willing to commit themselves into operational steps.
4.2 Wood products (formal sector)
The group observed the following:
1. there is great variation in data collection by participating member countries. There is therefore a need for member countries to take this more seriously;
2. the basic information for data collection provided by FAO is adequate;
3. the new integrated approach adopted by FAO in collaboration with UNECE, ITTO and Eurostat for data reporting by member countries is welcome.
The following recommendations were made:
1. country data collection should be institutionalized and done regularly and not on an "ad-hoc" basis;
2. the member countries should first concentrate on the basic data collection i.e. primary wood products and removals. This data is directly of interest for SFM;
3. industrial wood is of paramount importance in some countries and therefore deserves greater attention in data collection effort. Forestry agents should be trained in the nomenclature of wood products used by customs departments;
4. an effort should be made in the study of conversion factors in the countries of the sub-region, inspiring on example initiated by countries such as Mali, Niger and Senegal;
5. a correct price for the wood transformation sector is essential in order to stimulate the maximum utilization of the wood resources.
4.3 Woodfuels (informal sector)
The working group on woodfuel statistics, after an elaborate and intensive analysis of the peculiar characteristics of woodfuel data in member countries, identified some problems in data collection. The group made the following observations that are essential for their data collection on a reliable and continuing basis:
1. woodfuels, by definition, consist mainly of fuelwood, charcoal and other forms of energy derivable from wood;
2. woodfuel constitutes a very important source of energy consumption in most countries in the Sub Saharan Africa;
3. woodfuel statistics are therefore very important in the estimation of energy consumption which are an index of development, they can evaluate deforestation rates and lead to the formulation of appropriate energy and forestry policies in a country;
4. other alternative sources of energy to woodfuels exist and complement woodfuels. They include agricultural residues, fossil energy, solar energy, bio-gas and electricity.
The group observed the following problems associated with the collection of woodfuel statistics:
1. no standardized methodologies for the collection of woodfuels data;
2. no uniformity in units of measurements;
3. tax related woodfuels data are not dependable and are largely not complete;
4. in highly populated countries collection of woodfuels statistics pose additional difficulties in respect of scope, funds, time and personnel;
5. woodfuel consumption/production vary between urban and rural areas as well as ecological and climatic zones. Their utilization is for households and industrial use;
6. fuelwood and charcoal can be obtained from the natural forest, plantations, as well as wood wastes such as industrial wood residues and forest exploitation wood wastes.
The working group recommends the following:
1. in view of the level and usefulness of woodfuel statistics, their collection is strongly recommended for all member countries which are required to put in place the necessary institutional framework as well as the required infrastructure for their collection;
2. in order to respond to the immediate needs of providing information on woodfuel statistics, forestry departments in each country are encouraged to liase with the relevant departments of energy as well as identified other important partners which can facilitate woodfuels estimations and projections;
3. woodfuels surveys should be carried out every five to ten years with in-between periodic reviews;
4. the collaboration between the Forestry Administration and other institutions dealing with statistics such as the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Office of Statistics, Customs, Ministry of Finance, etc. should be established and/or reinforced and sustained;
5. the actual woodfuels survey should be stratified according to observed variations and consideration given to available resources in sample designs. Data collection must include both household and industrial sectors;
6. there is need to standardize the methodology of woodfuels data collection and FAO can contribute to facilitate this;
7. member countries need to be supported in terms of capacity building, professional or personnel motivation, adequate infrastructure for data collection including modern communication and information technologies;
8. woodfuel data should include production, consumption, trade, prices and income statistics, etc. essential for estimating the contribution of woodfuel to national income;
9. the various steps in the process of woodfuel, include production, trading and transportation aspects. They should be formalized and appropriately institutionalized. This would improve the data collection process and guarantee its reliability.
The importance and the role of non-wood forest products (NWFP) cannot be neglected when trying to understand and analyse the forestry sector. To underline this importance, an evening voluntary session was organized to deal with this issue.
If it is true that NWFP play an important role in the life of local populations, one must assure that the information on these products gets assembled and organized in order to provide an understanding of the socio-economic importance of this resource. A relatively good production figure exists for products destined for the export market. However, even these statistics are generally often scattered.
The participants were interested in hearing about the efforts made by the specialists from FAO's Forestry Department to develop a standardized method of grading and classification to facilitate the data gathering of NWFP.
The session, in particular, discussed the parameters used and their categories, as presented below:
_ Importance: important at national level; important at local level; and important but not yet documented.
_ Production system: natural forests and other wooded lands; plantations; and others.
_ Source: wild; and cultivated.
_ Utilization: national; and international.
Several speakers believe that the utilization and importance categories are redundant and that it would simplify the classification by grouping them.
More generally, one underlined the necessity to support the establishment of national capabilities for setting up sustainable and operational databases. In this framework, one strongly expressed, the need for elaborating practical and technical guidelines for collecting and compiling the data. The audience wished that such a document be completed and put at their disposal and at the disposal of the services dealing with these products.
The group recognizes the importance of information technology and recommends the following:
1. That governments of member countries should equip the identified contact and focal points of forestry data collection with good communication means, including telephone, fax, electronic mailing systems, computers and photocopiers.
2. With the availability of these facilities, training and capacity building are needed for the use of the equipment, basic statistics, data handling and data dissemination.
3. That those who have been trained need to be motivated by providing appropriate incentives, recognition and logistic support to sustain their commitments.
