Rationale for Selecting this Topic 



The United states supports about half of the 

 world's forest research. Although this country cannot 

 claim expertise in or commitment to all the principles 

 of sustainable forest management, it does have active 

 programs for developing fast-growing species, 

 optimizing seeding and harvesting patterns, using 

 secondary species, and extracting chemical substrates. 

 The United states is in the early stages of 

 experimentation with "energy plantations." Also, its 

 recently acquired capability in remote sensing offers 

 new opportunities for assessing forest resources, 

 assessing the impact of development activities, and 

 monitoring for disease and other conditions. It should 

 be noted, however, that much of the forestry research 

 done in developed countries is not directly applicable 

 to tropical forests. 



As a major consumer of the world's wood products, 

 the United States has a significant economic stake in 

 forest development and use in the developing countries. 

 A dozen U.S. industrial firms import plywood, veneers, 

 and pulp from the developing countries, and several are 

 directly involved in logging, marketing, and sales 

 activities on a worldwide basis. Also, any progress in 

 satisfying energy demands for local markets through 

 forestry is of considerable interest as the United 

 States intensifies its domestic search for small-scale 

 energy supplies for rural areas. Finally, the United 

 States could benefit scientifically from collaborative 

 research on (1) suitable environments for different 

 species and varieties; (2) genetic and physiological 

 improvement of trees; (3) influencing nutrient 

 concentration processes; (4) protection of trees from 

 fire, insects, and diseases; and (5) finding 

 substitutes for forest products (such as using cement 

 in construction instead of lumber) . Technologically, 

 collaborative efforts should provide us with new 

 insights into techniques for converting timber to 

 valuable chemical products as well as for improved 

 processing of species with different physical 

 properties. 



Ongoing Work 



AID has been concerned with improving the 

 development and use of forest resources in developing 

 countries for many years. The U.S. Forest Service, in 

 collaboration with researchers throughout the world, 

 maintains an international germ plasm collection as 

 well as the world's foremost repository of wood 

 samples. In addition, the Forest Service conducts a 



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