Choosing the Species and Site

Abstract

The first step in establishing a plantation is to find suitable land. In any region, some land may be unavailable simply because its owners do not wish to sell, its price is too high or government restrictions prevent certain land uses. As well, rural communities may feel threatened by the establishment of large areas of plantation forests in their region; consultation with them will be necessary to determine just what land is available, consistent with community aspirations. A decision must then be made as to what species is to be planted, a choice determined by its ability to provide the products desired ultimately from the plantation and to grow satisfactorily on the land available. The decision may be simple if there is already an established plantation programme in the region. If not, there are a variety of tools and techniques available by which assessments can be made of what species might do well in the environmental circumstances of that region. Further choices must then be made of exactly what pieces of land should be purchased. This will often be determined by the growth rates that can be expected on a site. These will be determined by the rainfall, soil fertility and climatic characteristics of the site. The tools and techniques used to estimate possible growth rates on particular sites are described.