This book describes the scientific principles that are used throughout the world to ensure the
rapid healthy growth of forest plantations. As the population of the world increases so does
the amount of wood people use. Large areas of natural forests are being cleared every year and
converted to other uses. Almost as large an area of plantation forests is being established
annually to replace those lost natural forests. Eventually plantations will produce a large
proportion of the wood used around the world for firewood building the manufacture of paper
and bioenergy. Forest plantations can also provide various environmental benefits including
carbon storage rehabilitation of degraded land serving as disposal sites for various forms of
industrial or agricultural waste and enhancing biodiversity in regions that have been largely
cleared for agriculture. Whatever their motivation plantation forest growers want their
plantations to be healthy and grow rapidly to achieve their purpose as soon as possible. This
book discusses how this is done. It is written for a worldwide audience from forestry
professionals and scientists through to small plantation growers and describes how plantations
may be grown responsibly and profitably.
