The National Forest Policy stipulates that one third geographic area of the country should be brought under forest/tree cover. Keeping the same in focus, the Approach Paper to the X Five Year Plan has targeted to bring 25 percent area under forest/tree cover by the end of the Tenth Plan period and 33 percent by the end of the Eleventh Plan period. It also emphasises on establishment of modern nurseries on a catchment area basis to provide quality planting material. The steady depletion of forest resources and increasing deforestation has brought into focus the realisation that the active participation of the communities is necessary for the success of any forest regeneration programme. It is also well known that village communities would have little incentive to participate unless they benefit directly.

Promotion of decentralised nurseries through credit in the rural areas will lead to easy and timely availability of planting material and in the process lead to creation of employment opportunities and income generation in the rural areas. Forest nurseries will be one of the means for active participation of the communities in future forest regeneration programmes. The proposed large scale afforestation will require establishment of decentralised nurseries through credit support.