Social Forestry in India - Objectives of Social Forestry and Environment Wing

Objectives of Social Forestry and Environment Wing

Social forestry, schemes that have been started all over the country have made a considerable difference in overall forest cover in a short time. Afforestation outside the conventional forest area for the benefit of rural and urban communities. The main objective is to :-

1. Improve the environment for protecting agriculture from adverse climatic factors,
2. Increase the supply of wood fuel for domestic use, small timber for rural housing, fodder for livestock, and minor forest produce for local industries,
3. Increase the natural beauty of the landscape; create recreational forests for the benefit of rural and urban population,
4. Provide jobs for unskilled workers and
5. Land rehabilitation
6. Finally, its object is to raise the standard of living and quality of life of the rural and the urban people.

Mission

• To carry out a need based and time bound programme of afforestation with special emphasis on fuel wood and fodder development on all degraded and denuded lands/forests.
• Afforestation of abandoned jhum lands and mined areas.
• Linear strip plantation of fast growing species on sides of public roads, rivers, streams and irrigation canals.
• Afforestation on unutilized lands under State/Corporate, institutional or private ownership.
• Green belts in urban/industrial areas.
• Shelter belt (generally more extensive than the wind breaks) for the purpose of shelter from wind and sun covering areas larger than a single farm on a planned pattern.
• Farm forestry in the form of raising rows of trees on bund or boundaries of fields and individual trees in private agricultural land as well as creation of wind breaks round a farm or orchard by raising one or two lines of trees.
• Raise flowering trees and shrubs mainly to serve as recreation forests for the urban and rural population.
• Elicit people’s participation involving women and young people in conservation of forests, wildlife and environment.
• Environmental awareness generation and celebration of vanamahotsava, environment day, wildlife week etc.