Explanation:

Social Forestry is meant for supplying goods and services to meet the ever increasing demand for firewood, fodder, food, fertilizer, fiber, timber, medicine, etc. or for industrial purposes such as timber, plywood, matchwood, fiber board, paper and pulp, rayon, etc. The main idea is to remove pressure on natural forests for these requirements. Social forestry is based on public and common land (private) to produce firewood, fodder, fruit and small timber for rural people.

In Indian the Policy encourages planting of trees alongside roads, railway lines, rivers and streams and canals, and on other unutilized lands under State/corporate, institutional or private ownership including creation of green belts in urban/industrial areas as well as in arid tracts.

The programme should be conducted by a co-operative system including farmers, tribals, panchayats and NGOs (nongovernment organizations), etc. Degraded lands should be utilized for social forestry for firewood, whereby the quality of land improves in course of time. Massive afforestation should be done involving multipurpose species of plants/shrubs so that every village/ town/ city is able to meet its requirements for firewood, fodder and  small timber. Production/Commercial Forestry is intended entirely for commercial purposes to meet the needs of the forest- based industry. Fallow lands, not used for agriculture, grazing lands, etc. can be used for raising such plantations.