Plantation Forestry

What does it mean?

Plantation Forestry or planted forests are planted forests that have been
established and are (intensively) managed for commercial production of
wood and non-wood forest products, or to provide a specific environmental
service (e.g., erosion control, landslide stabilization, windbreaks, etc.)
(FAO, 2000).
Key Focus

• Plantation Record-Keeping System

• Plantation Journal Preparation and Digital Recording

• Plantation Inspection
Plantation Record-keeping System
• Planation record-keeping system (PRKS) involves meticulous
documentation of various aspects of plantation management.
• A management system that includes plantation records, helps to increase
returns by improving nutrient and pesticide-use efficiency.
• Major aspects of PRKS are (Recordkeeping System for Crop Production
(E2342) - MSU Extension, 2015):
• i. Information about plants
• ii. Soil Test Summary
• iii. Nutrient Planning
• iv. Nutrient Applications
• v. Pesticide-use Records
 An overview on PRKS

• Percentage of residue cover left after planting.

• If your soil test laboratory reports soil nutrient concentration in ppm, convert to Ib./a.
by multiplying by 2 (ppm x 2 =Ib./a.). If the test results are given in Ib./a. P2O2 and
K2O, convert to P and K by multiplying P2O2 by 0.44 = P, and multiplying K2O by
0.83 = K.
• Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)
• Use the space for sulfur, micronutrients, or other soil tests not routinely recommended
• Based on realistic goals and previous crop. Refer to AY 171 (com); AY 170 (soybean); AY
244 (wheat and small grains); AY 272 (canola); and ID 167 (grasses and forages).
• Subtract the values for N, P2O2, and K2O under Manure Nutrient credits (transferred from
Manure Management worksheet) from the Fertilizer Recommendations and record the
result in the appropriate Addition Fertilizer Nutrient column. A negative value indicates no
extra fertilizer is needed.
• Pre-Sidedress Nitrate test
• Plow-down, Manure, Stater, Side-dress N, Pre-plant N
• Micronutrients, Nitrification Inhibitors, etc.
• Private pesticides are required to maintain application
records for restricted use for a minimum of two years from
the date of application. It is the responsibility of the private
applicator to follow the regulations (355 IAC 4-4) under the
Indiana Pesticide Use and Application Law.
• Chemical formation is required if part of the brand name.
 Plantation Journal Preparation and Digital Recording

• A plantation journal is a way of

keeping records of daily activities,
observations, and significant
events related to plantation
management (Burris et al., 2018).
• Digital recording means storage of
required information in digitally
specialized media e.g., software
like Crop-tracker, CropLife,
Agriapp, etc (Lyu et al., 2023).
Preparation and digital record of a plantation journal (Narayan, 2020):

• a. Choose a Digital Platform

• b. Creation of Journal Templates
• c. Recording Daily activities
• d. Observation and Insights
• e. Attachments multimedia
• f. Organization and Categorization of
Entries
• g. Regular Updates
• h. Back up and Security
• i. Data Analysis and Reporting
• j. Continuous Assessment
 Plantation Inspection (Ofoegbu, 2015)
• The systematic assessment of various aspects
of the plantation to ensure compliance with
regulations, identity, potential risks or issues
and maintain operational efficiency.
• Scheduled inspection minimizes the disruption
to operations
• On-site assessments systematically inspect
different crops related issues i.e., crop health,
environmental compliance, labor practices,
financial and administrative compliance, etc.
• Reporting and follow-up ensure timely
implementation of corrective measures
• Insights from inspection enhance plantation
management practices, refine procedures, and
foster a culture of continuous assessment.
 References
• Burris, G., Elsner, J., & Doel, R. E. (2018). Plantation Records as a
Source of Historical Weather and Agricultural Data. Southeastern
Geographer, 58(4), 348–364. https://doi.org/10.1353/sgo.2018.0035

• FAO, 2000. The Global Outlook for Future Wood Supply from Forest
Plantations by C. Brown. Working Paper GFPOS/WP/03, Forest Policy
& Planning Division. FAO, Rome, Italy.146 p.

• Lyu, Z., Ichikawa, K., Cheng, Y., Hayakawa, H., & Kawamoto, Y.
(2023, October 5). Digitization of weather records of Seungjeongwon
Ilgi: A historical weather dynamics dataset of the Korean Peninsula in
1623–1910. Geoscience Data Journal. https://doi.org/10.1002/gdj3.227
 References
• Narayan, A. K. (2020). A Tailor-Made Digital Solution For Plantation
Crops.
https://www.cropin.com/blogs/smartfarm-a-tailor-made-digital-solutio
n-for-plantation-crops

• Ofoegbu, C. (2015). Private Investment in Plantation Forestry: A

Review of Lessons from Uganda Sawlog Production Grant Scheme.
Forest Research: Open Access. s1. 10.4172/2168-9776.S1-001.

• Recordkeeping System for Crop Production (E2342) - MSU

Extension. (2015). MSU Extension.
https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/recordkeeping_system_for_crop_
production_e2342