Online Seminar on Agroforestry for Wood production – Issues and Challenges from 10th June, 2022

India is one of the leading producers and consumers of wood in the Asian region. The growing population, rapid industrialization and other technological developments have created significant demand for a wide range of wood, which resulted in frequent and large scale imports. The low productivity of India’s forests coupled with legal restrictions in obtaining wood from natural forests created a huge gap in demand and supply, which increased attention towards establishment of agroforstry to meet the raw material requirements for domestic consumption and industrial utility. Now, Agroforestry has the potential to fulfill the gap between demand and supply.

The Extension Division, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun organized an online seminar where subject experts expressed their views and suggested effective strategies for adoption of agroforestry and establishment its linkages to wood based industries on sustainable basis. At the outset, Dr. Charan Singh, Scientist-F, invited Mrs. Richa Misra, IFS, Head Extension Division for welcome address and opening remarks on the seminar. Mrs. Richa Misra welcomed the all resource persons, participants and invited Dr. Renu Singh, IFS, Director of the institute for inaugural address.  Dr. Renu Singh, FRI spoke at length about the forest resources in the country and how the trees outside forest are contributing substantially in helping meet up the supply demand of timber for construction and other wood based industries.  She spoke about the low productivity of the available species along with poor quality planting material, inadequate extension and restrictive legislation policies which have been responsible for agroforestry not being taken up in a big way by farmers.  She wished the webinar success & hoped that it would result in clear action points and deliverables for future course action.