Comprehensive summary of USAID forestry-related assistance to developing countries

House Appropriations Committee to USAID for a comprehensive report on efforts in the area of reforestation and related subjects. The author discusses two major components of USAID"s forestry assistance programs -- bilateral assistance and P.L. 480 food programs. While the former concentrates on forestry capacity building in all participating countries, the latter focuses on direct tree planting in poor and needy countries. Forestry capacity building, among other things, involves training, research, and TA to support the forestry base in the participating country. A total of 96 bilateral assistance projects, including on-going and planned forestry-related projects in 37 countries, are identified by the author. Total cost is $771,522,000. Budgeted forestry-related activities, out of this figure, amounts to $215,753,000. Life of project costs of 77 ongoing USAID forestry-related bilateral assistance projects totals to $579,500,000. On-the-ground tree planting activities constitutes 26% ($34,513,000) of all the funds committed to forestry activities. This implies that only 6% of the life of project budgets for all 77 ongoing forestry related projects are devoted to tree planting. The memorandum shows that from 1979 to 1983, there was a decline in forestry activities in Africa, while there was an increase both in funding and number of projects in Asia. Latin America shows a steady rise in commitments to forestry-related activities. (Author abstract, from PN-ABM-455)