Context: Based on the findings of the research paper titled the ‘Impact of forest policies on timber production in India: a review’ published in 2016 in the Natural Resources Forum, a United Nations Sustainable Development Journal, a senior official has called for a review of the current forest policy in India.
Background
Current forest policy in India

• Following a 1996 Supreme Court order which regulated logging in government forests, the forest policies in India have focused on conservation. The policies prioritize conservation over production.

Concerns with the present approach:
Fall in domestic production

• The domestic demand for timber has been growing due to the increasing population and per capita GDP.
• However, decades of policies focused on conservation instead of production has resulted in domestic timber production witnessing a slump.

Reliance on imports

• Given the shortfall in domestic production, the timber imports have witnessed a rise.
• The dependency on imports could backfire as the exporting countries have been shifting to a conservation-based approach. This could lead to a situation where India does not have sufficient domestic timber production ability nor would be in a position to import from other countries due to a shortage of supplies.
• The unimpeded timber imports have affected domestic pricing patterns. The low prices have dis-incentivized domestic production.

Key findings

• The research paper argues in favour of a more balanced approach to forest policy-making in India. It calls for an approach that takes care of both the conservation imperatives as well as the human needs for timber.
• There is a need for a forest policy characterised by equal importance given to restoration, conservation and production.
• The conservation policy must focus on maintaining ecological balance and improving biodiversity through protected area management.
• The restoration policy must target reclamation, rehabilitation and regeneration of degraded landscapes and wastelands.
• The production policy must focus on increasing forest productivity to meet human timber needs.
• The research paper calls for an amendment in the Indian forest policy to boost domestic production.

Steps to be taken:

• Production forestry should focus on a sustainable increase in forest productivity from trees outside forests (TOFs) and recorded forest areas (RFAs).

Focus on TOFs:

• Considering the immense potential of timber production from trees outside forests (TOFs) — grown outside government recorded forest areas (RFAs), there is the need to incentivize and promote timber production in TOFs to meet the domestic timber demand.
• The India State of Forest Report (2011) estimates timber production from government forests to be 3.17 million m³ and potential timber production from TOFs to be 42.77 million m³.
• For TOFs, a synchronised nationwide policy needs to be developed. This should also incentivize private sector participation.

Sustainable forestry in RFAs:

• For the RFAs, there could be the demarcation of 10% of the forests for plantations in areas that would have the least impact on the ecology.
• There should be sustainable forest management in these areas based on certification to dis-incentivize logging in protected areas.

Framing of supportive policies:

• The import-export policy of the country should be reviewed to rectify its pricing impact in the market. The policy should consider restricting imports in a bid to help increase the prices in the market and make it economically viable to grow trees domestically.
• The lack of reliable data relating to growing stock, consumption and production of timber has constrained forecast of supply and demand projections. There is a need to ensure data availability on these to promote the timber industry in India.

Significance
Mitigation efforts

• Increasing wood production will result in carbon sequestration, and help in mitigating the effects of climate change.
• India remains highly vulnerable to the impact of climate change. India ranks 5th on the global climate vulnerability index.
• This could also help India meets its commitments made under the Paris climate deal.
• Under the Paris Agreement, India had committed to creating a cumulative carbon sink of 2.5-3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030.

Impact on rural economy

• Policy initiatives aimed at increasing timber production from TOFs can help revive the agricultural sector and the rural economy by generating newer employment opportunities.
• Agroforestry apart from helping the farmers supplement their incomes also helps increase the concentration of various nutrients or enhances nutrient cycling and thus helps improve overall soil quality.