192 Forests
Make a forest management plan
After doing the activity on page 191, consider these questions:
• What benefits and resources does the forest give us? What trees, plants and
animals are used? How much is used in each season? Are there areas
where these resources have grown scarce or have disappeared?
• How do we support the forest? Does the community plant trees, protect
certain areas, or have other ways of making sure the forest stays healthy?
• Should some parts of the forest be protected from use? How will that affect
people who use those parts of the forest?
• Should sustainable methods be practiced in some parts? What knowledge
does the community have about caring for forests that can help to make
these changes?
• What skills do we need to make sustainable forest management a success? If
we do not have those skills, can we learn them? Will we need to rely on
other organizations? How can we form strong alliances with organizations
we trust to help us gain skills and knowledge?
• How can our community keep control over our forest projects? Well-organized
communities that present a strong and clear message to outsiders about
what they want usually receive greater benefits from sustainable
forestry projects.
• How will we get our products to market? It is often more expensive to get
products to national or foreign markets than to sell products locally. Local
prices are lower, but the cost of selling is also lower.
• How much will our forest products be worth? If you wonder whether you are
receiving a fair price for forest products, you may want to contact some
fair trade organizations (see Resources).
• What changes will the new plan bring? Will the new management plan limit
some people’s ability to use the forest? How will the community help them
in return?
If we harvest too
much wood this year,
we may not have
enough medicine
trees next year.
And we need
to protect our
firewood trees to
last through the
rainy season.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012