The low forest cover in Tigray results in severe soil erosion and a pronounced wood deficit for the population. In this region with a serious lack in forest products and an highly sensitive population to forestry, one of the promising ways to foster forestry activities and thereby improve rural living conditions is the so-called "social forestry".
"Social forestry" aims at covering the basic economic and cultural forestry needs for the rural population in order to improve directly the living conditions. Typical social forestry activities in Tigray focus on fuel wood (to divert fuel dung from the ovens back to the fields), on poles and small timber for rural housing and agricultural tools, on agroforestry and fodder trees and on the protection of agricultural land against erosion by forestry measures. In areas with remaining forest and bush land, social forestry includes also people-based forms of forest management.
Social
forestry or how to restore the fragile balance between agriculture, pastoralism
and forestry in Tigray? Near Idaga Hamus, a small grazing area is shared
between different farmers. In the background, private plantations of Eucalyptus
camaldulensis provide a substantial income to the owners. In Tigray, Eucalyptus
is mainly used as construction material and is generally planted on small
plots of private land.
(c) DFS Deutsche Forstservice GmbH