Fact Sheet: How to do FMNR
forestry staff and local authorities in planning and decision-‐making. Cultivate useful trees by pruning shrubby regrowth sprouting from tree stumps and roots. Begin with a survey of the existing regrowth and select the stumps to prune. Then prune regularly with a simple cutting tool. FMNR should be run by farmers to suit local objectives. Community consultation and planning is important for its success. Pruning and harvesting
It is best to prune every 2 to 6 months. This stimulates faster growth and produces straighter stems. The simple rules of pruning are: • Use sharp tools: such as a saw, axe, machete, 5 harvesting knife or even a hoe. • Where possible, cut upwards: to avoid bruising and stripping of bark. Excessive damage will set back the plant’s ability to re-‐grow and the 4 wound may become an entry point for disease and insects. • Don’t prune stems too high: or they could be broken by livestock or strong winds. Stems should be pruned up to half way up the trunk while small, and up to two thirds up the trunk once over 3 two meters tall. Getting Started
1. Sprouting tree stumps and roots may look like 1 shrubs and are often ignored or even slashed. By selecting and pruning the best 2 stems and culling the excess, re-‐growth can rapidly grow into trees. 2. Survey your farm, noting how many and what species of trees are present. Select the stumps that will be used for regeneration. 3. For each stump, select the best five or so stems to keep and prune and tag them with a coloured rag or paint. 4. Cull the rest of the stems and prune off the side branches of the remaining stems to half way up the trunk. Where possible, cut upwards with a sharp tool. 5. Work with the community on protecting the trees. Together you can make some agreements to protect the trees that respect each other’s rights. Where possible, include government The site
FMNR can be practiced wherever there are sprouting tree stumps and roots. These can exist in seemingly treeless fields and can regenerate into trees if given a chance. FMNR is typically practiced on farmland, degraded forest land and grazing land. Pruning normally occurs in the dry season when labour is more readily available but FMNR can be practiced anytime. 1 FMNR is flexible and works best when it adapted to Consulting with the community on FMNR to gain suit local needs and conditions through trial and consensus and collaboration is important to protect experimentation. For example, certain annual crops the trees. This is particularly true in areas where may be more sensitive to there is usually free access to competition for natural trees. Nomadic herders may Questions to think about
resources or shading. In high interpret reforestation as a ploy • What are my objectives for FMNR? rainfall areas thick bush can • Will I test FMNR on a small area first? to hinder their access to grazing form rapidly and require areas. Care must be taken to • Which stumps will I prune? Which heavy pruning. Where grasses species? How many stems will I prune work with all groups, explaining take over they may need to the mutual benefits. and how often? be suppressed while the trees • When will I harvest? On individually owned farmland, are established. • Who do I need to inform? Do I need FMNR is best managed by the to do any community planning? FMNR re-‐growth is fairly farm owner. On communal land, • What training is required? hardy and can occur without it is important for the whole • How will I manage protection from protection from livestock. community to jointly manage fire? However, where possible, it is FMNR. For community beneficial to exclude livestock management to work, for six months to a year after pruning. Fewer trees organisational structures such as traditional will be damaged and better growth achieved if authority roles or new structures such as livestock are excluded during this initial period. cooperatives are needed in order to manage the work, deal with issues and for communication Factors to consider
purposes. Farmers’ objectives determine how FMNR is practiced. Some different objectives of FMNR Community members can readily participate in the include: improving soil fertility; creating a wind practice of FMNR. With a little training, women and break; growing fire wood and building poles (to use men, boys and girls, farmers and herders can or sell); producing fruits, edible leaves or fodder; practice this simple activity. provide erosion control; reverse land degradation; Fire protection: community wide protection is best. improve the environment; grow medicines; generate What are the common sources, for example income; build social acceptance etc. lightning, accidental escape from cooking fires, Your objectives will guide the selection of species to deliberate lighting by children or herders prune. You might prioritise interaction with your encouraging grass growth? Once this is known, then annual crops. Or you may want production of communities can draw up a fire plan that includes firewood or fruit. Or on grazing lands, you may both preventative and defensive measures. prefer fodder trees. In degraded forest lands, all Prevention might include establishing local bylaws species may be encouraged to maximise against unnecessary burning, a fines system for biodiversity. infringements, clearing fire breaks, educating children and reducing fuel available to burn through Similarly, use your objectives to help choose the regular pruning of trees and either heavy grazing of number of stumps you’ll prune per hectare, the dry grass or harvesting and removal of dry grass. stems per stump to leave, the time span between Additional measures include equipping and training pruning and harvesting of stems and the method of community members on fire fighting and pruning. Note that if you have a few stems growing establishing an early warning system. from a stump, when you want wood you can leave some stems behind that will continue to increase in size and value. World Vision Australia This fact sheet consists of brief notes to provide assistance with the FMNR method. For more information: www.fmnrhub.com.au 2