| Summary, etc. |
It became apparent, soon after the workshop convened, that the mmost important issue was the combustion of wood for heat. It was recognized that forests and trees are sources of organics, such as organic acids, aromatics, drying oils, lubricants, synthetic fibers, cosmetics, dyes, animal feed, and solvents. These chemicals and all other forms of forest benefits including water, habitats for endemic plants and animals, paper, lumber, a sink for carbon, shelerbelts, and landscape amenities, are important. However, the inmediate worldwide cencern for assessing al possi ble sources of energy, especially combustible materials, resulted in the members of the workshop directing their attention toward the use of forests and trees, defined in the broadest sense, for fuel.. Fores benefits other than fuel were not ignore. One working gropu considered the environmental consequences of using dense plantations of trees with 3- to 10-year harvest, short havest periods in natural stands, genetics, fertilizer, and other cultivation practices to exploit forests primarily for generating steam. Thes gropu conests for fuel. An important concern was the necessity to include biological processes in economic analyses. Anoher working group exmined the physical input and output considerations for directing "naturally" regenerated forests, plantations, and agro-forests toward producing primarily fuelwood. A trird working group examined the socio-economic consequences of and constraints for the use of land and forests for fuelwood. The latter issue is most important because the rational use of the world's biological resources must take into consideration dofferent social, cultural, and economic systems. The working groups described how the whole problem of energy, development requires investigation by teams of social scientistis, foresters, engineers, biologists, and other technologistis. Because of the many variables involved, it is important to provide interdisciplinary training for people to effectively assess different situations and evolve tactics for efectivelv and efficiently implementing projects. The situations in different parts of the world were reviewed in a number of informative papers that circulated to all particupants before an during the workshops. In three working grooups ideas, concepts, data. and proposals were interrelated to produce specific recommendations. These recommendations are described in three group reports. Not all recommendations apply to all social, cultural, economic, and biological situactions. Thus, five specific actions are suggested for the purpose of aiding decisionmakers in assessing and implementing the recommendations; in developing international and interdiscilplinary cooperative efforts by countries, internatioanal development agencies, development banks and componenst of the MAB organization: and for countries to develop institutional arragements to help gropus use their cultural, ecnomic, and biological resources to more effectively assess the use of wood for fuels. |
