The role of forest plantations in long-term land usage
Keywords: areas with unfavourable qualities, arable land forestry, export commodity reserves, profitable land usage, job creation
The expansion of tree plantations was the result of demand for the social and welfare benefits provided by forests. The cultivation of classified species of pine, poplar and eucalyptus on agricultural land, using agronomic methods, has spread across the globe. A third of the world’s supply of cylindrical trees originates from such plantations, which comprise 3-5% of all forest area. Hungary’s climate is favourable for the planting of acacia and poplar. The experimental results of the study are persuasive in terms of introducing this procedure domestically. Each hectare of annual saplings is equivalent to the price of 4-5 tonnes of wheat; the internal rate of interest is 7.4-8.7%. Following various dressing processes, the cut of timber is a competitive export commodity reserve, with comparative advantages and a favourable RCA index. Acacia could also play a significant role in energy production.
The demand for structural changes in agriculture has constantly been raised. According to the trial-works investigations of the Agricultural Economics Research Institute (AKI) close to a third of sown area is loss-making even with agricultural subsidies. Taking into account the world market situation regarding food, and changes in the system of agricultural subsidies, AKI deems it necessary to change the type of cultivation being carried out on 450-650 thousand hectares of arable land. About half of the land to be withdrawn is suitable for the plantation-style planting of acacia and poplar. The returns on planting can increase timber exports. With development of the stock, opportunities arise for chemical processing of the wood (cellulose, methanol, etc.). Tree plantations can be viewed as an intensive culture requiring a high degree of human labour. The under-skilled workforce, the young and the old can be employed here. In order to make decisions related to long-term land usage, the earliest possible initiation of economic efficiency calculations and effectiveness tests are desirable. For the purposes of developing profitable land usage, the goal is the planting of 20-25 thousand hectares of forest annually, from regional development resources.