Important Differences between Timber Plantations and Forests
(With reference to South Africa)
By Wally Menne *

During the period since the Rio Earth Summit there has been growing concern about degradation of the natural environment, and particularly of forests because of their substantial environmental, social, economic, climatic and spiritual benefits. This has led to a better understanding of how human activities can impact negatively on forests. Deforestation through logging, and clearing for agriculture has been the obvious way, but it is now understood that other apparently harmless impacts, including those of timber plantations, are in fact responsible for substantial damage to, and loss of forest ecosystems, together with associated wetland and grassland.

The practice of “plantation forestry” began during the 19th century in South Africa and has possibly been in practice for several centuries in parts of Europe. So-called “planted forests” have made steady inroads around the world as a short-term solution to meeting the present inflated demand for wood products. However, a better understanding of forest ecology has made the simplistic view that “all trees are green” no longer acceptable to the majority of informed people. The once dominant view, that simply replanting areas denuded of natural forests with stands of alien trees was all that was needed to replace the natural resource, is no longer valid. This poster is intended to inform how limited the benefits of plantations are when compared to forests and will illustrate the most obvious physical differences between true forests and the man-made substitute.

A new view of “planted forests” is emerging: Plantations truly deserve being called ‘fake’ or ‘false’ forests. Authoritative institutions such as the FAO need to review their standpoint on promoting timber plantations, as it becomes clear that cumulative negative impacts of large timber plantations far outweigh positive gains at a local level, and benefits are unfairly skewed towards multinational timber corporations and the wasteful consumers of their products.

Distinguishing Characteristics of Forests and Plantations

* Member of the Timberwatch coalition www.timberwatch.org.za