Social forestry and its rational benefit Indian context social forestry simply means tree-growing for the purpose of rural development. As social forestry has a rural development focus and is heavily dependent on the active participation of people, it is also known as "forestry for local community development" or "participatory forestry.social forestry project is with the aim of taking the pressure off the forests and making use of all unused and fallow land. Trees were to be planted in and around agricultural fields. Plantation of trees along railway lines and roadsides, and river and canal banks were carried out. They were planted in village common land, Government wasteland and Panchayat land.Social forestry also aims at raising plantations by the common man so as to meet the growing demand for timber, fuel wood, fodder, etc, thereby reducing the pressure on the traditional forest area.The goal of social forestry intervention should not only be to provide biomass but also to reverse the processes of negative change through active participation.Through the social forestry scheme, the government has involved community participation, as part of a drive towards afforestation, and rehabilitating the degraded forest and common lands.

NEED - In India, the National Commission on Agriculture (NCA) in 1976 recommended the creation of social forests on common lands and state forests to provide the local communities fuel wood, small timber and fodder .Need for a social forestry scheme was felt as India has a dominant rural population that still depends largely on fuelwood and other biomass for their cooking and heating. This demand for fuel wood will not come down but the area under forest will reduce further due to the growing population and increasing human activities. The government managed the projects for five years then gave them over to the village panchayats (village council).Social forestry was originally conceived by the Indian government as a response to the forestry crisis and to accelerating deforestation in India.OBJECTIVES AND AIMS Using the public and common land of the village to produce in a decentralised manner firewood, fodder and small timber to meet the local needs (particularly poor people) and also to conserve soil and water. To increase rural employment, farmer's incomes and opportunities for participation by landless people. To increase the forest cover To strengthen forestry institutions Creation of woodlots in the village commonlands, government wastelands and panchayat lands. Planting of trees on the sides of roads, canals and railways. This, along with planting on wastelands is known as extension forestry, increasing the boundaries of forests Reducing the pressure on natural forests. Afforestation of degraded government forests in close proximity to villages, which have experienced the unauthorised harvesting of biomass. Planting of trees on and around agricultural boundaries, and on marginal, private lands, constituting farm forestry, or agro-forestry, in combination with agricultural crops. Increase thenatural beautyof the landscape; createrecreational forestsfor the benefit of rural and urban population, Improve theenvironmentfor protectingagriculturefrom adverse climatic factors. Ensuring optimum utilisation of land, water, livestock and human resources.

TYPES OF SOCIAL FORESTRY There are 5 types of social forestry,they are1)farm forestry - Individual farmers are being encouraged to plant trees on their own farmland to meet the domestic needs of the family. There are 2 types of farm forestry, they are Commercial and non commercial farm forestry.It is not always necessary that the farmer grows trees for fuel wood, but very often they are interested in growing trees without any economic motive. They may want it to provide shade for the agricultural crops; as wind shelters; soil conservation or to use wasteland.2)community forestry - It is the raising of trees on community land and not on private land as in farm forestry.The government has the responsibility of providing seedlings, fertilizer but the community has to take responsibility of protecting the trees.It is a village-level forestry activity, decided on collectively and implemented on communal land, where local populations participate in the planning, establishing, managing and harvesting of forest crops, and so receive a major proportion of the socio-economic and ecological benefits from the forest.Some communities manage the plantations sensibly and in a sustainable manner so that the village continues to benefit. Some others took advantage and sold the timber for a short-term individual profit. Community forestry is a process of increasing the involvement of and reward for local people, of seeking balance between outside and community interests and of increasing local responsibility for the management of the forest resource3)agro forestry - Planting of trees on and around agricultural boundaries, and on marginal, private lands, in combination with agricultural crops is known as agro-forestry.In a more scientific way agroforestry may be defined as a sustainable land use system that maintains or increases the total yield by combing food crop together with forest tree and live stock ranching on the same unit of land, using management practices that takes care of the social and culture characteristic of the local people and the economic and ecological condition of the local area .Biodiversity in agro-forestry systems is typically higher than in conventional agricultural systems. Agro-forestry also has the potential to help reduce climate change since trees take up and store carbon at a faster rate than crop plants.Agro-forestry incorporates at least several plant species into a given land area and creates a more complex habitat that can support a wider variety of birds, insects, and other animals. India has become the first nation in the world to adopt an agroforestry policy. 4)extension forestry - Planting of trees on the sides of roads, canals and railways, along with planting on wastelands is known as extension forestry, increasing the boundaries of forests.Under this project there has been creation a of wood lots in the village common lands, government wastelands and panchayat lands .5)scientific forestry - Silviculture is the art and science of controlling the establishment, growth, composition, health, and quality of forests to meet diverse needs and values of the many landowners, societies and cultures over all the parts of the globe that are covered by dry land. Silviculture lays great stress on replacement and replanting of new crops and trees.ADVANTAGES 1.Educates the people about the need to protect and conserve natural forests. 2.Provides them alternate source of firewood and fodder so that they need not go to the natural forests.3.Protects the natural forest from grazing animals.4.Waste land in and around the village will be put to proper use.5.Involvement of rural people in the social forestry programme would generate in them a natural interest towards the conservation of natural forests.6.Provides land laborers an avenue of employment.DISADVANTAGES as per the Indian national social forestry programme emphasis was on resource creation through planting fast growing tree species like acacia and eucalyptus on privately owned lands and waste land. But the products from these have more value for pulp and paper rather than meeting the biomass needs to local people. This monoculture created degradation of soil quality and water table. It failed to actively involve local communities and rural people.ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SOCIAL FORESTRY IN KERALA.A regular Social Forestry Wing was constituted in Kerala Forest Department during the year 1982 with the launch of World Bank aided Social Forestry Projects. Immediately after the culmination of World Bank Aided Social Forestry Project in the year 1993, the Social Forestry Wing was entrusted with a huge task of implementing compensatory afforestation scheme to rehabilitate degraded forests extending over 57180 ha.In the recent years, Government of Kerala has launched various ambitious programmes for improving tree cover of the state outside forest area.Major programmes among them are:- My Tree Programme (2007) joint programme of dept of forest and education ,where planting of trees with participation of school children from std 5 to 9. Greening the Coast Scheme(2007) protecting states coast line from natural calamities by establishing bio shield of sand binding trees. It is implemented through theera samrakshana samitis. Road side Planting of Shade Trees Scheme(2007) Our Tree Programme(2008) it is an extention of my tree programme . here tree saplings are planted by plus 2 and college students. Greening Kerala Scheme(2009) it is a scheme of planting 1 crore seedling in 2 years in 2 phases during 2009-2010.