NAT'L AFFORESTATION

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The National Afforestation Project will finance afforestation, research and planting material development activities and institutional strengthening in 15 provinces. The project has 6 objectives, to : 1) expand forest resources and reduce the gap between timber production and consumption; 2) improve quality of forest plantations through use of superior planting stock; 3) introduce financial and economic analysis for forestry investment; 4) strengthen research and extension programs that support plantation forestry; 5) initiate an accelerated tree breeding program that increases productivity of planting stock within 2 to 3 years; and 6) create the organizational and managerial infrastrucutre to plan, appraise, finance, implement, and evaluate plantation programs. The project has the following components : a) plantation establishment of 675,500 ha of coniferous and 309,500 ha of broadeaved plantations in 15 provinces; b) research - assistance for setting up institutional arrangements, research programs etc; c) improvement of planting material - improving seed production areas; d) organization and management - introduction of a monitoring information system to focus on specific needs of the high yielding plantation program; e) environmental management - guidelines covering maintenance of biological diversity and species mix, pest control, soil and water conservation and fire prevention; and f) forestry sector planning.