A thesis submitted in the partial fulfillment of the requirements for' the degree of Master of Science, School of Environment, Resources and Development

Dhaka Forest Division is a resource poor area in the core of Tropical Moist Deciduous forest or Sal (Shorea robusta) forest in Bangladesh. Forests of this Division were originally privately own by big landlords. The government acquired these forestlands under the Provision of Land Acquisition Acts, 1959. Even though the lands were acquired, rights and claims of individuals were never been settled. This created serious land tenural problem result substantial loss of Sal forests, which still persists. In this situation, conservation and management of degraded and encroached forestlands was out of control by State Forest Authority. Therefore, community forestry woodlot had established in the area to resolve this problem situation. This study focuses on the suitability and productivity analysis of Acacia auriculiformis, Acacia mangium and Eucalyptus camaldulensis in selecting species and sites for further woodlot establishment. These three species had widely been planted in the previous phase of the woodlot programme in the study area. Local volume tables for these three species have prepared using Height and Diameter at Breast Height in a linear regression model. Forest range wise productivity and survivorship analysis of these three species was also employed. This helps to determine the relative performance between species in selecting suitable species and site for further woodlot establishment under the prevailing biophysical conditions of the study area. The study describes the social factors, which can broadly influence the process of community forestry woodlot due to the differences in socio-economic setting from one social group to another even within the same biophysical settings in the study area. The social parameters only reveal the general information on forest resources use by the local people and their preferences, participation and perception towards community forestry woodlot programme in the study area. This study considers how major biophysical and social aspects would influence in selecting species and sites suitable for community forestry woodlot, a tool for forest conservation and management. Affiliation of social and biophysical factors in site suitability classification intended to compare with traditional method of prioritization. Height growth of Acacia auriculiformis, Acacia mangium and Eucalyptus camalclulensis was also analyzed to see the relative performance among the species across the forest ranges. Final results attempt to provide general guidelines in selecting Acacia mangium as socially and biophysically the most suitable species followed by Acacia auriculiformis and Eucalyptus camaldulensis in all forest ranges for fmther woodlot establishment. The most efficient outcome of this study is the invitation to revise the currently adopted methods in selecting suitable species and sites for community forestry woodlot taking both social and biophysical parameters into consideration. Until emergence of very detail study on socio-economic and biophysical factor delineating species selection, this semi-detailed level suitability study will act as an alternative measure in species selection by which rigorous conflicts between local community and forest officials will be minimized while forest conservation and management efforts will be maximized.

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2001