Why indigenous species were not popular in Sri Lanka?

Why indigenous species were not popular in Sri Lanka in plantation establishment?

Abstract of a seminar presentation

Piyumi Nanayakkara

Forestry has two main functions to fulfill which are recognised as protection and production. Due to significant reduction in the natural forest cover in Sri Lanka during the recent past through the agricultural development, shifting cultivation and settlements; the functions that can carry out by natural forests were reduced. That means natural forests were unable to provide these two functions at required level. Therefore forest plantation establishment was started in Sri Lanka.

Utilisable timber plantations in Sri Lanka mainly consist of man-made forest plantations belonging to Forest Department (96,250 ha), companies under the Ministry of Plantation Industries (16,463 ha), private companies and rubber and coconut plantations. According to the data recorded in the past, it is clear that most of the tree species used for the plantation establishment were exotics such as Teak, Eucalyptus, Acacia, Pine and Mahogany.

Data on indigenous and exotic species were collected through the literature survey to select the most suitable species for plantation establishment, based on three selection criteria named as growth and management characteristics, end product characteristics and Usefulness of the species.

Results concluded that exotics are the most suitable and popular plantation species that recommended for Dry, Intermediate and Wet climatic zones in Sri Lanka. Monocultures of exotics cause certain shortcomings, however, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Therefore there is no secret of selecting or popular of exotics in plantation establishment compared to indigenous species in Sri Lanka.

There are some indigenous species suitable as plantation species such as Kohomba, Ebony (Diospyros ebenum), Jak (Artocarpus heterphyllus), Mara (Albizia sp), Halmilla (Berrya cordifolia), Hora (Diptercarpus zeylanicus), Kumbuk (Treminalia arjuna) and Lunumidella (Melia dubia), however, they were not popular for plantation establishment as exotics due to several poor characteristics such as relative low growth rate and having longer rotation length, very low volume compared to exotics, poor wood working qualities, unavailability of straight bole, lack of published information on Indigenous species and felling restrictions etc.