Timber harvest planning in the Pacific Northwest: Lessons for Tanzanian forest plantations

Plantation forests in Tanzania, East Africa, are situated on mountainous areas of variable terrain. After successful plantation establishment in the 1950's, harvesting started in the 1970's well in time to meet an increased national timber demand. Current problems facing timber harvesting in the form of a volume surplus and signs of environmental degradation are associated with uncontrolled harvests, mismatch of harvest systems to site needs, and post-harvest practices. Comprehensive harvest planning is the needed solution. Protocols and effectiveness of timber harvest planning in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) provide some valuable lessons. Planning is an expensive undertaking, raising a concern for implementable harvesting plans. The accomplishments of plan objectives, planning tools, harvesting systems options, implementation requirements and monitoring criteria are explored in different settings. A planning procedure intended for the technical, economical, and institutional timber harvesting situations of Tanzania and other similar circumstances is advanced for review and consideration.