Download Full PDF - 15.78 MB - The Society of Irish Foresters
Download Full PDF - 15.78 MB - The Society of Irish Foresters Download Full PDF - 15.78 MB - The Society of Irish Foresters
6Division. The final report is formally transmitted as an F AO reporteither by the Chief of F AO's Expanded Technical Assistance Programmeor by the Director-General.There are three important features inherent in this procedure forhandling experts' reports. The first is that the recommendations becomeofficial F AO recommendations and must therefore be thoroughly discussed,checked and screened before approval. The second is thatproposals for capital investments requiring external financing can bepresented by a country to the International Bank or to another agencywith the implicit approval of FAO as being based on a realistic appraisalof development possibilities. Lastly, these reports may be expected tobecome basic forestry documents in the history of the establishment orexpansion of forest policy and programmes in a country.Differences of opinion have arisen and will continue to arise betweenFAO Headquarters and the expert with respect to recommendations tobe made.The Division is meticulously careful in recruiting the best availabletalent. The expert is always an outstanding man in his own field. Hehas had an opportunity of investigating conditions on the ground. It isonly therefore in cases of departure from basic principles of F AOforestry policy or insufficient attention to the known social, economic orcultural limitations of a country that the Division would have to denyapproval. Fortunately, no such action has been necessary to date. Ithas always been possible to reach amicable agreement with experts forany suggested revisions of recommendations. The processing of the finalJjeport is usually a matter of changed format, variation of emphasis andediting. Should, however, the situation arise where differences ofopinion could not be resolved, the procedure envisaged is to send theexpert's recommendations, together with FAO's comments on them.With this explanation, which I thought would be of interest to aprofessional society, let us proceed to an examination of some of theproblems which our experts must face in their assignments. Perhapssome comparisons useful to Irish forestry may be possible. The firstand most important flows from the nature of forestry itself. Forestryis a longterm proposition and continuity of policy is an unconditionalessential. This is very difficult, even impossible of attainment exceptingunder conditions of political stability and good government. By this Ido not imply any particular form of government. I do mean competenceof administration and adherence to an established line of action, includingregular provision of at least a minimum annual budget. This is where,in many countries, our experts run into their first and greatest troubles.Let us take for example a suppositious country which I will invent,which has all the difficulties which our experts run into in greater orlesser degree. Let us call it Darien. On arrival in Darien it has beenall too quickly borne in on our experts that not only is there no knowI~dge of forestry administration, but there is little conception of the
7ordinary principles of government. There is no co-ordination betweenministries. To be political head of a government department is anecessary stepping-stone to power- to the presidency. Persons areappointed as departmental officers on the basis of their political strengthand their primary job is to advance the influence of their minister. Everytime a government changes, there is a clean sweep in the department.It is not to the interest of the current president to allocate large budgetsto his ministries. To get the work of government done, it is necessaryto set up a commission or to give executive authority to the nationalbank for operations in fields of activities of departments of government.Human nature being what it is (only moreso in some under-developedcountries), friction develops and advances can be at best hesitant anduncertain.Corrdated with this kind of government setup, there is a deep unrestin the population. I do not refer to the conflict of political ideologies,but a stirring against the injustices of existence. There are two classesin the population only: the rich (the" intelligentsia") and the povertystricken peasants, illiterate, disease-ridden, eking out a bare existence bysubsistence agriculture, often in the form of shifting cultivation or grazinglivestock on annually burned ov(r forest ranges. These people of courseproduce no surplus for the economic betterment of themselves or theircountry. Their way of life is based on forest destruction and its terribleconsequences in tropical or semi-tropical countries, e.g. soil erosion.Population increases in Darien are forcing migration into higher andhigher areas with accelerating denudation. Pressure of political unrestare building up which will result some day in an explosion far differentfrom the ordinary revo~utions between the In's and the Out's.The solution to these problems in Darien must be found in theprovision of alternative ways of life. The stopping of forest destructionby police action, if possible, would only hasten disaster. The problemfar transcends forest policy. It means general land use planning,education and a host of other measures for the economic betterment ofthe peasant class which comprise by far the major part of the population.The greatest single obstacle in Darien is the system of land tenure.Decades ago, large blocks of land were awarded to the favourites of thetime and these holdings have descended from father to son. The resultis that the land is in the hands of a few large owners who are more oftenthan not absentee landlords. These holdings are the good valley landscapable of intensive agriculture. In reality they support a few head oflivestock or lie idle. The great mass of the peasantry is forced into themountains to live on lands which should be under forest or used underproper regulations for pasturage. Ownership here is merely an expressionof temporary occupation under shifting cultivation. There are no propersurveys. There is no incentive to progressive agriculture or to thefoundation of permanent homes. Incidentally, there is no class of thepopulation with a modicum of education from which a strong intelligentsub-professional forestry staff could be recruited and trained.
- Page 1: IRISH FORESTR YVol. IX. No. 1 SUMME
- Page 4 and 5: SOCIETY OF IRISH FORESTERSPresident
- Page 6 and 7: 4Need I dwell on the complexities i
- Page 10 and 11: 8The picture I have painted of Dari
- Page 12 and 13: 10I am sure you have all been menta
- Page 14 and 15: 12resistance to the invaders became
- Page 16 and 17: 14RED DEER HEAD.BEZ TINE12 POINTS.I
- Page 18 and 19: 16In Wicklow the strain is not nati
- Page 20 and 21: 182nd YEAR3rd YEAR4th YEAR5th YEAR6
- Page 22 and 23: 20JAPANESE DEER.ANTLERS.FRONT VIEWS
- Page 24 and 25: 22This little animal is a lover of
- Page 26 and 27: 24neck reaching to the leaves in th
- Page 28 and 29: 26principally on measures of contro
- Page 30 and 31: PINUS CONTORTA as a Forest Tree In
- Page 32 and 33: 30any blanks resulting from frost t
- Page 34 and 35: 32humus may acctlerate podsolisatio
- Page 36 and 37: TENTH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGTHE Ten
- Page 38 and 39: 36with satisfaction that the rate o
- Page 40 and 41: 38The vote of thanks to the speaker
- Page 42 and 43: COVER PHOTOGRAPHOur cover photograp
- Page 44 and 45: .:-................................
- Page 46 and 47: IRISH FORESTRY is fully served by:-
- Page 48 and 49: Felling and Cross-CuttingTREESCAN B
- Page 51 and 52: Benjamin Reid & fjO.20 HADDEN STREE
7ordinary principles <strong>of</strong> government. <strong>The</strong>re is no co-ordination betweenministries. To be political head <strong>of</strong> a government department is anecessary stepping-stone to power- to the presidency. Persons areappointed as departmental <strong>of</strong>ficers on the basis <strong>of</strong> their political strengthand their primary job is to advance the influence <strong>of</strong> their minister. Everytime a government changes, there is a clean sweep in the department.It is not to the interest <strong>of</strong> the current president to allocate large budgetsto his ministries. To get the work <strong>of</strong> government done, it is necessaryto set up a commission or to give executive authority to the nationalbank for operations in fields <strong>of</strong> activities <strong>of</strong> departments <strong>of</strong> government.Human nature being what it is (only moreso in some under-developedcountries), friction develops and advances can be at best hesitant anduncertain.Corrdated with this kind <strong>of</strong> government setup, there is a deep unrestin the population. I do not refer to the conflict <strong>of</strong> political ideologies,but a stirring against the injustices <strong>of</strong> existence. <strong>The</strong>re are two classesin the population only: the rich (the" intelligentsia") and the povertystricken peasants, illiterate, disease-ridden, eking out a bare existence bysubsistence agriculture, <strong>of</strong>ten in the form <strong>of</strong> shifting cultivation or grazinglivestock on annually burned ov(r forest ranges. <strong>The</strong>se people <strong>of</strong> courseproduce no surplus for the economic betterment <strong>of</strong> themselves or theircountry. <strong>The</strong>ir way <strong>of</strong> life is based on forest destruction and its terribleconsequences in tropical or semi-tropical countries, e.g. soil erosion.Population increases in Darien are forcing migration into higher andhigher areas with accelerating denudation. Pressure <strong>of</strong> political unrestare building up which will result some day in an explosion far differentfrom the ordinary revo~utions between the In's and the Out's.<strong>The</strong> solution to these problems in Darien must be found in theprovision <strong>of</strong> alternative ways <strong>of</strong> life. <strong>The</strong> stopping <strong>of</strong> forest destructionby police action, if possible, would only hasten disaster. <strong>The</strong> problemfar transcends forest policy. It means general land use planning,education and a host <strong>of</strong> other measures for the economic betterment <strong>of</strong>the peasant class which comprise by far the major part <strong>of</strong> the population.<strong>The</strong> greatest single obstacle in Darien is the system <strong>of</strong> land tenure.Decades ago, large blocks <strong>of</strong> land were awarded to the favourites <strong>of</strong> thetime and these holdings have descended from father to son. <strong>The</strong> resultis that the land is in the hands <strong>of</strong> a few large owners who are more <strong>of</strong>tenthan not absentee landlords. <strong>The</strong>se holdings are the good valley landscapable <strong>of</strong> intensive agriculture. In reality they support a few head <strong>of</strong>livestock or lie idle. <strong>The</strong> great mass <strong>of</strong> the peasantry is forced into themountains to live on lands which should be under forest or used underproper regulations for pasturage. Ownership here is merely an expression<strong>of</strong> temporary occupation under shifting cultivation. <strong>The</strong>re are no propersurveys. <strong>The</strong>re is no incentive to progressive agriculture or to thefoundation <strong>of</strong> permanent homes. Incidentally, there is no class <strong>of</strong> thepopulation with a modicum <strong>of</strong> education from which a strong intelligentsub-pr<strong>of</strong>essional forestry staff could be recruited and trained.
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