Ecological Services of Exotic and Native Tree Plantations in Northwest India

Abstract

"Pre-1988 forest policies in India promoted widescale plantations of exotic Eucalyptus tereticornis mainly for the short-term visible gains from timber because of its straight bole, fast growth rate, high productivity per unit area, and minimal requirement for post-plantation care. However, the scientific community, private growers, and the public have been divided over the merits and demerits of Eucalyptus plantations in the past. One reason for this is that our current accounting system considers only the economic gains from wood and fails to consider the cost of lost ecological services when comparing exotic vs. native trees. Instead, we compared the total value of exotic E. tereticornis plantations in comparison with native Dalbergia sissoo plantations."