Australian science is playing a leading role in supporting forest sustainability in our region. CSIRO in particular is at the forefront in helping tropical countries manage their forest resources says Dr Sadanandan Nambiar of CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products.

These countries include Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Thailand and Pacific nations.

Nearly a third of tropical and sub-tropical plantations outside Australia are made up of Australian tree species, says Dr Nambiar, editor with Alan G Brown of a new book on the management of tropical plantation forests.

"Australian eucalypts, acacias and casuarinas are dominant plantation species," says Dr Nambiar.

"If the current use of fuel wood from forests continues, more than a quarter of native forests will disappear in the next twenty-five years," Dr Nambiar says. "Large scale expansion of plantation forests is urgently needed, especially in the tropics."

Better Management of Soil, Nutrients, and Water in Tropical Plantation Forests was launched in Parliament House today by the Acting Prime Minister, Mr Tim Fischer.

"Plantation forests are a most valuable form of land use for wood production and environmental quality," says Dr Nambiar. "The aim of our book is to improve understanding of how soil, water and nutrients can be better managed for increasing and sustaining production, with due care for the environment in tropical regions.

"Forest management can either conserve or squander the resource," says Dr Nambiar. "Management options include far more than the frequency of cropping. The dynamics of stand growth, and options for the manipulation of factors which affect it, must be considered. Also the role and fate of organic matter, with which critical nutrient reserves are associated, must be assessed.

"Areas being considered for use as plantation forests often contain soils which have been degraded, either natural processes or, more frequently, by prior land use. These soils contain their own set of problems which must be solved," says Dr Nambiar. "Pests and diseases are a major threat.

Dr Nambiar says that the 'biological success' of plantation forests is essential, but it is not the only measure of success.

"There is a need to ensure that plantation forestry operates for the overall economic and social benefit of the communities in which they may be located. Management goals must be set in the appropriate bio-physical environmental, economic and social contexts."

Better Management of Soil, Nutrients, and Water in Tropical Plantation Forests has been produced though the cooperative effort of CSIRO, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural research (ACIAR) and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) situated at Bogor in Indonesia, and a team of 26 scientists from nine countries.

More information:
Dr Sadanandan Nambiar CSIRO 02-6281 8311
Mick Crowe CSIRO 02-6281 8357