Scope of Production Forestry in enhancing Carbon Mitigation in India

Sponsored by GOF Climate Change and Energy Programme. British High Commission, New Delhi

The project aims at creating a better understanding of the potential of production forestry in carbon mitigation in India and to analyze the policy and procedural constraints that hinder the achievement of this potential.

A vibrant production forestry sector in India can a) Help sequester carbon at a rate much faster than what happens in temperate areas; b) Help the nation to bridge the burgeoning gap between demand and supply of commercial/industrial timber; c) Help conserve bio-diversity by reducing large-scale wood fuel removals from natural forest areas; and d) Help create much needed alternative employment opportunities in rural areas to curtail poverty driven forest degradation.

Project Output

  1. A report on the impact that an impetus to production forestry can have on: a) the level of carbon sequestration in India on an annual basis and b) the net carbon emissions from the country where bulk of wood harvested is used as fuelwood.
  2. An updated wood balance study of the country with projections of emerging demand-supply gap for non-domestic wood demand till 2020 AD.
  3. Proceedings of a national workshop on "Global (mitigation) and National (wood supply/rural development) Advantages of Production Forestry: Scope, Constraints and Opportunities."
  4. A white paper on policy and procedural constraints that have hindered augmentation of wood production in India leading to progressively increasing dependence on imports by the industrial and commercial users of wood. This would constitute the basis for structuring the deliberations of the proposed national workshop mentioned in "3" above.

The project methodology will include

  1. Review of available literature and recent sectoral studies done by government/independent agencies.
  2. Analysis of the existing policies pertaining to forestry, land-use and ownership, local governance, industrial development, foreign trade, agriculture and wasteland development to identify gaps with reference to production forestry.
  3. Preparation of status papers on India's national wood balance up to 2020
  4. Consultations with stakeholders like the industry, prominent civil society organizations, and the Government agencies.
  5. Regional Workshops at Delhi, Guwahati and Bangalore and a National Workshop at New Delhi to discuss and finalize the draft report.
  6. Two sensitization workshops each for policy makers and social sector representatives
  7. Publication of articles in relevant journals and the popular media.

Expected Impacts

  1. An increased level of awareness of policy makers about the importance of enhancing indigenous wood production to: a) realize the full carbon sequestration and rural development potential of the forestry sector outside existing natural forest areas; b) meet fast growing national requirements of wood for subsistence as well as commercial uses and c) achieve the forest cover targets enshrined in the National Forest Policy, 1988.
  2. A diagnosis of the policy and procedural bottlenecks that need to be resolved (and how) to give production forestry its place in the overall land use matrix of India, a country with rapidly expanding economy and resultant booming demand for wood to meet commercial/industrial needs.

Scope of Production Forestry in enhancing Carbon Mitigation in India : A Preliminary Report

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Project Steering Committee


Dr. R. Mandal
Adviser, Environment and Forests
Planning Commission
Yojana Bhavan
New Delhi 110001

Mr. J V Sharma, IFS
Deputy Inspector General of Forests (Forest Policy),
Ministry of Environment and Forests,
Government of India
Paryavaran Bhawan, CGO Complex,
Lodhi Estate, New Delhi-110 003

Mr. R. R. Vedera
Joint Managing Director
Ballarpur Industries Limited
Thapar House, Janpath
New Delhi

Dr. D.K. Bandyopadhyay
Director, Indian Institute of Forest Management
Post Box No. 357, Nehru Nagar
BHOPAL - 462 003 (MP) INDIA

Mr. Dhirendra Singh, IAS (Retd.)
Formerly Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India
& Secretary, Forests; Government of Karnataka
AB-17, Mathura Road
New Delhi

Dr. Kamal Bawa
Distinguished Professor
University of Massachusetts
11, Richmond Road,
Belmont, Boston 02478, USA

Dr. S N Rai, IFS (Retd.)
Formerly, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests
Government of Karnataka,
C/o ATREE,
No. 659, 5th 'A' Main Road,
Hebbal, Bangalore 560024


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