Plantation

:This article is about crop plantations. For plantations of people, see article Plantation (settlement or colony) for that 17th Century meaning.

Classification of Tree Plantations

Plantations can be classified as Industrial, Farm or Environmental.

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Industrial Tree plantations

Industrial plantations are actively managed for the commercial production of forest products. Individual blocks are usually even-aged and often consist of just one or two species. These species can be exotic or indigenous. Industrial plantations are usually large-scale.

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Wood production on a tree plantation is generally higher than that of natural forests. While forests managed for wood production commonly yield between 1 and 3 cubic meters per hectare per year, plantations of tropical species commonly yield between 5 and 20 cubic meters per hectare annually; A eucalyptus plantation can have growth rates of 25 cubic meter per hectare per year or higher. World wide, forest plantations now amount to less then 5 percent of total forested area, but account for 20 percent of current world wood production.

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;Criticism of large scale industrial plantations

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In the 1970?s Brazil began to establish high-yield, intensively managed, short rotation plantations. These types of plantations are sometimes called fast-wood plantations and often managed on a short-rotation basis,as little as 5 to 15 years. They are becoming more widespread in South America, Asia and other areas. The environmental and social impacts of this type of plantation has caused them to become controversial, In Indonesia for example large multi-national pulp companies have harvested large areas of natural forest with out regard for regeneration. From 1980 to 2000 about 50% of the 1.4 million hectares of pulpwood plantations in Indonesia have been established on what was formely natural forest land.

Related Topics:
Brazil - Indonesia

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The replacement of natural forest with tree plantations has also caused social problems. In some countries, again, notably Indonesia, conversions of natural forest are made by with little regard for rights of the local people. Plantations established purely for the production of fiber provide a much narrower range of services then the original natural forest for the local people. India has sought to limit this damage by limiting the amount of land owned by one entity and, as a result smaller plantations are owed by local farmers who then sell the wood to larger companies. Some large environmental organizations are critical of these high-yield plantations and are running an anti-plantation campaign, notable the Rainforest Action Network and Greenpeace.

Related Topics:
India - Rainforest Action Network - Greenpeace

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Farm or home Tree Plantation

Farm or home plantations are typical established for the production of lumber and fire wood for home use and sometimes for sale. Management may be less intensive then Industrial plantations. In time this type of plantation can become difficult to distinguish from naturally-regenerated forest.

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Environmental Tree Plantations

Environmental Plantations may be established for watershead or soil protection. There are established for erosion control, landslide stabilization and windbreaks. Such plantations are established to foster native species and promote forest regeneration on degraded lands as a tool of environmental restoration.

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