This report describes the methodology and the findings of the final plantation survey of the first phase of the Private Forestry Programme. The objective of the survey was to provide a final assessment of the status and the performance of the plantations established through the smallholder tree-planting support schemes implemented during the first phase.
A total of 1,088 pre-positioned sample plots, 1,024 of which included trees, were surveyed in the field during the survey. The study area covered almost all of the villages involved in the TGIS, but only a sample of the tree planting communities under the two OSPs.
The performances of the established plantations varied greatly from woodlot to woodlot but were largely satisfactory. While the growth in height did not meet the specific targets of Phase 1, the figures were nonetheless good. The survival rates of most one-year-old plantations were acceptable (though those of the KVTC-OSP were excellent), and the survival rates of older plantations were markedly better. Stand densities (including both live and dead trees) were slightly lower than expected, given the initial planting density of 1,111 trees/ha promoted by the PFP.
The average level of weeding, including both circle and slash weeding, was on the low side in the TGIS and in the NFC-OSP, but not in the KVTC-OSP. Nevertheless, a comparison of the present weeding levels with those recorded by a survey conducted two years earlier showed some improvement. The study results also support the identified positive connection between a high-standard weeding and the woodlot performance, especially with juvenile eucalyptus woodlots.
