Hans Steinlin
HANS STEINLIN is Director, Institute of Landscape Management, University of Freiburg, Federal Republic of Germany.
It is not enough merely to assert that more research in forestry and the forest industry is needed to assist forest administration in developing countries. What is important is appropriate research - research linked to specific socioeconomic conditions and forestry needs in a particular country. Research assistance from industrialized countries should be aimed at technologies appropriate and relevant to the developing countries. Ideally, research assistance and training should be done within the developing countries themselves.
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Research in forestry and forest products has a long tradition in many industrialized countries. Over the past century the most important goods produced by forestry were timber for industrial use, such as construction timber, and the raw material for pulp, paper and panels. Research consequently concentrated on these products. Fuelwood lost ground in the developed countries over the years and is no longer regarded as an important industrial product. Other products that played an important role in former times were labelled minor forest products" and disregarded. As a consequence, very few foresters and researchers in the industrialized countries paid any attention to them.
Current knowledge is fairly satisfactory in the field of technological properties of timber and related industrial processes. Well-equipped research units exist in several countries and a lot of successful research is still going on. Many of the results are important and can also be applied to forestry for development.
On the other hand, wood as a source of energy - which plays and will continue to play an important role in forestry for development - has been very much neglected by research. This is one of the fields where much more research is needed in the future and where new research capacities must be created.
Another field for new and more intensified research is the use of tree and shrub biomass as fodder for livestock and other animals, and perhaps also as food for human consumption. Under certain climatic and soil conditions, trees and shrubs are more productive and less liable to damage by drought than annual plants, while at the same time protecting the soil more efficiently against erosion and degradation.
More systematic and broader research is also urgently needed in minor forest products. The range of these is enormous, especially tropical and subtropical tree and shrub species.
Research in large-scale timber preservation against insects and fungi has been very successful. There is nevertheless a great need for the development of cheap and simple processes for the preservation of timber used primarily for fences, the construction of houses, and all kinds of wooden tools and equipment.
Finally, research on the possible ecological value of trees and forests for people, animals and agricultural plants is very much needed. This research has to be multidisciplinary, and go far beyond the boundaries of the traditional concept of forest research.
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New forms of organization. Forestry for development implies not only new types of forest stands, new forms of tree utilization and new combinations with agriculture and animal husbandry, but also new forms of organizing a forest enterprise. Management methods designed for and successfully adopted by large State forest administrations or huge private forest owners arc often not suitable for those types of forestry that aim primarily at the development of rural areas and of the communities living in these areas.
Forestry for local community development differs from traditional forestry in:
· the goals to be attained by the management of forest land, stands of trees and isolated trees, and in the priorities that are set among different goals;· the way the goals are selected and finally set;
· management's responsibilities as well as the way management works;
· the way operations for the establishment, tending and harvesting of trees and other products are carried out.
The primary scope of this type of forestry is the fostering of the welfare of a given community or region. This includes not only producing goods needed by the local population or providing the community with cash income, but also supplying a wide range of services and opening ample opportunities for productive employment of idle labour within the community. These needs are by no means the same under different natural and socio-economic conditions. They must be identified very carefully in each case.
An intensive analysis of both the population needs and the forestry potential is required. Many of the questions arising from this analysis should be answered by adequate research, which includes biological, technical and medical aspects as well as aspects of the social sciences economics, ethnology, psychology, sociology and political science. The correct formulation of management goals depends on the quality and the range of such multidisciplinary research.
It is not only the goals of forestry for development themselves that diverge from those of large-scale industrial or economic forestry. The procedure by which these goals are determined and carried out also differs from the way a State forest administration or a private enterprise formulates and executes its goals. Forestry for local community development, in the long run, can succeed and reach its set targets only if the majority of the population concerned is deeply involved and identifies itself with the goals of management. This is not easy to attain, but it is a sine qua non for any forestry for development. It is important to add, however, that forestry for development can, in fact, eventually include large-scale industrial plants such as sawmills or pulp and paper plants; the main difference occurs in the process by which decisions are made.
Consequently, new ways and means of cooperation and participation by the local population and authorities alike have to be explored and then introduced to a selected community, thus enabling it to accept gradually and then identify with the development goals. Here too, many problems arise that can only be solved by taking into consideration all local social, political, historical and psychological factors. Many of these have to be examined scientifically and require a kind of systematic research that differs from traditional forestry research. The methodology is typically that of the social sciences.
Similar considerations are valid for management itself. The final managerial responsibilities lie with the local authorities and people, even if technical and economic assistance is provided by the government or by governmental services. Adequate forms of organization must therefore be developed or established, such as local boards representing the local communities together with executive agents. The boards should be independent enough to make daily technical and financial decisions as well as to formulate technically and professionally sound proposals for the overall management of the enterprise. In many cases, this is not possible without a certain amount of the kind of research already described.
Researchers from the industrialized world would gain a better insight into the many problems of developing countries by going there and working with local researchers.
Technologies. The outputs of forestry for development should primarily benefit the local communities. Furthermore, the inputs should be provided as far as possible by the local communities themselves. Since their financial potential is normally very restricted, there is little scope for large investments in imported machinery or employment of imported labour. A sum of money equivalent to the investments should remain within the community in the form of salaries or profits gained by selling goods produced in the community. The answer to this challenge is labour-intensive working methods and, in many cases, the so-called intermediate technologies, which differ fundamentally from those applied in large-scale or private forest enterprises.
Most of the present research in the field of forest operations, especially in the industrialized countries, concentrates on very sophisticated and highly mechanized technologies and labour-extensive working methods. This is the right response to the conditions prevailing in countries with very high labour costs, ample capital and a clear trend toward large-scale production of high-quality forest products.
However, none of these factors applies to forestry for development. It would be quite wrong to pursue this type of advanced research and adopt uncritically its results. What is needed instead is new research into the development of appropriate technologies for the establishment and tending of tree plantations and forest stands, and also for the harvesting, transport and transformation of products from trees and forests. In particular, research should be oriented toward the development of improved techniques in manual work; of improved or fundamentally redesigned tools and light machinery for different kinds of forest operations; and also of simple equipment for the transformation and processing of timber and minor forest products for local consumption and for sale outside the local community.
The improvement of manual working techniques and hand tools aims at increasing labour productivity, at reducing physical strain and at avoiding health risks and accidents. Much can and has to be done in this field to raise the population's living standard and obtain, at the same time, higher salaries and reduced production costs. New or improved equipment and machinery should be of simple but reliable construction, durable, easily maintained and repaired and preferably manufactured in small workshops by locally trained craftsmen. This applies also to the equipment used for the processing of trees and forest products. Small-scale local industries, based on local raw material, could in many cases contribute substantially to the welfare and economic development of rural areas. This is why equipment design plays such an important role and must be supported by research.
Forestry research in developing countries. A great deal of the research needed for designing and implementing forestry for development should start from the specific conditions in each country or region. In most cases, transferring the results of research from one country to another will not serve the receiving country's real needs and may entail, in addition, the risk of giving wrong answers to wrong questions. This is one of the reasons why each country must build up its own research capacity to ensure that its specific problems and conditions are respected and that solutions are found that load to real progress.
Another reason is the need for close and permanent contacts between the person in the field and the researcher. This happens only when the research is carried out within the country itself.
A further, more complex dimension must also be considered. Research results are not always easily accepted and applied, especially when they run counter to tradition or generally accepted procedures. Experience shows that it is much easier to convince people of the need to change if the research is done on the spot in close contact with those who should apply its results.
Research also has a very important educational function for people of all levels. It demonstrates how rational and systematic procedures lead to new knowledge and new understanding. It further induces changes in behaviour and mentality. Such changes are part of each country's development process. Therefore, research in itself is an important tool of development and should be used in all developing countries. The creation of research capabilities is a part of development: this should never be forgotten.
It is often argued that lack of money, lack of trained researchers and lack of experience prevent countries from building up research capabilities and that it would be more economic to transfer research results and know-how from those wealthier countries which can afford large research institutes and large numbers of specialized research workers. This may be true for certain fields of very complicated and expensive basic research, but it is certainly not true for the research needs of forestry development. These, as has been noted, can be met with simple tools and methods and do not need extremely sophisticated installations and highly specialized researchers.
More important than facilities and money is the willingness of researchers to use their brains, to approach the problem with a scientific outlook, and to adhere very conscientiously to a clear and well-designed research plan. This is possible even in a very difficult and primitive environment.
Needless to say, research capabilities in any field and in any country must be built up step by step. At the beginning, comparatively simple problems, which can be solved with relatively simple methodologies and a small number of specialized workers, should be tackled and solved. Once sufficient experience has been acquired, more complex and demanding problems can be handled and the staff and equipment of the research unit gradually improved. Forestry for development research can easily follow this type of procedure.
When insisting on the necessity of a national forestry research capability in each country, international cooperation should not, by any means, be excluded. On the contrary, an international research network is of paramount importance. Much more should be done to strengthen existing networks and even to build new ones if necessary. International assistance in the education and training of research workers is one of the best ways to help create national research bodies. This can be achieved through seminars and workshops on research methodology where researchers of all grades and ages can learn from the experience of others. Methods can be transferred from one country to another a great deal more easily than the results of research. Developed countries accordingly should concentrate their efforts on assisting developing countries to build up methodological experience and know-how to enable them to solve their research problems themselves rather than undertaking research on their behalf.
Another way to help is through the exchange of researchers from different national institutions for longer periods than are usually allotted for seminars and workshops. The best results are obtained when the visiting researcher is completely integrated into the receiving institution and participates in the normal daily work of colleagues.
It is often thought that researchers from developing countries or from their new institutions should work abroad for some time in an institution of repute. This is not necessary. The precise opposite is needed: well-trained and motivated researchers from more developed countries should work for longer periods in new or less successful research institutions in developing countries, participating in the daily work of the local researchers. In this way, the more experienced visiting researcher can show junior colleagues how to tackle certain research problems of that particular country under existing conditions.
This approach is more efficient, and of a higher learning value, than sending young researchers from the Third World to foreign institutes where they would have to work on problems of developed countries, often with very sophisticated methodologies and infrastructures quite beyond the reach of their institutions at home. Conversely, experienced researchers from the industrialized world would gain a better insight into the many problems of developing countries by going there and working with local researchers.
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Management methods designed for and successfully adopted by large State forest administrations or huge private forest owners are often not suitable for those types of forestry that aim primarily at rural community development.
Interdisciplinary research. Many forestry research problems, and development ones in particular, are very complex, involving at the same time biological, technical, socio-economic, political and legal aspects. They can only be solved on an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary basis. Calling for interdisciplinary action is easy, but putting it into practice is not. Experience shows that only a very few scientists are able to supervise research simultaneously in several diverse disciplines closely enough to carry out work in each. Normally, they will need help and advice from specialists. This means that people with different backgrounds, who often have different views on a particular problem, will have to function as a team.
Organizational measures to encourage interdisciplinary work in research are not often successful. For example, a structure that creates a special department for each interdisciplinary field and locates it in one institution with a mandate to encourage interdisciplinary thinking usually fails. The reason for this is that such special departments or groups mainly tend to become defenders of their special areas of interest and to build walls around their territory. As a consequence, much time and energy are spent in the struggle for competence and leadership.
From the author's experience, the creation of ad hoc teams of specialists for individual research projects on a personal rather than an institutional basis is to be recommended. It allows more flexibility and makes it possible to select the best persons for a given task rather than merely selecting representatives of each organizational unit. Much depends on the leader of such a team, who should be a dynamic person with broad views and a deep interest in and understanding of the various aspects of different disciplines. If this is the case, his or her original scientific background or speciality will be of no importance. Sometimes it can even be an advantage if the leader is, to a certain degree, an outsider and not one of the specialists.
Research and education. There is no development without education. Education is more than the transfer of knowledge and experience: it is the fostering of human creativity. An important prerequisite for creativity is curiosity, the desire to know more, to ask why.
Creativity and curiosity are basic to research. The quality of research in any country depends greatly on the quality of the research worker and his or her education. Both are intimately related. However, research is also one of the means by which a person becomes educated and it should be used systematically as such.
In forestry education at all levels, whether for professionals, technicians or skilled workers, research should be used as a tool to promote creativity. Research institutions should be closely linked with education and training. Shifts from research to education and practical experience, for professionals as well as for technicians, should be a part of career development, at least for the most promising and brightest members of research institutions, schools and administrations.
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Dissemination. Publications are one way of transmitting research results, but often this is not very efficient. It is a slow process and depends on whether someone in the field receives a publication and is willing to read it. Personal transmission through lectures, seminars, demonstrations and advice is more direct and allows for individual explanation and discussion. Instead of a one-way flow of information, typical of publications, there is a two-way flow and an interaction between researcher and user. This benefits not only the user but also the researcher, who receives supplementary information and stimulus for further research and can judge whether, or to what degree, his or her work has been useful and accepted in the field.
Closer contact between researcher and user depends on conditions prevailing in a given country or a given sector and, in particular, on each individual case. An active and well-organized extension service that maintains very close and permanent contacts between research institutions and the field may be one possibility of ensuring a two-way flow of information. However, there is the danger of self-complacency in the extension services, and of their isolation both from research and from the worker in the field. This must be avoided. One way of counteracting such tendencies is to alternate extension people between activities in research and in field management positions, on an organized and regular basis.
The creation by research institutions of a well-organized extension service of their own may be a solution in some cases. Other avenues may be regular refresher courses and arrangements for continuing education for all levels of field personnel, ensuring the close involvement of researchers as teachers.
The better educated the field personnel are, the greater their creativity, and the more research-oriented will be the spirit of an enterprise or administration. Consequently, it will be easier to translate research results into practice. In this respect the heads of enterprises or administrations play a crucial role and much depends on their attitude. Here again it can be seen how education and research are linked, and in fact constitute an entity.
Apart from the problem of disseminating research results to the field, the flow of information in a reverse direction must also be encouraged. The researcher needs feedback from the field, not only about his or her degree of success, but also for information about new problems to solve as well as the priorities to be set. In many cases, advisory boards established within research organizations and composed of able field workers have been very successful. If they meet regularly with researchers, they can greatly influence the identification of priority problems and be, at the same time, a link between research and field personnel. Again, it is not so much the type of organization as the spirit animating it that makes such liaison bodies effective.
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