Forest management is a significant area that will need to be addressed by India at the World Summit on Sustainable Development scheduled to be held at Johannesburg in September 2002. Very few people know that nearly a quarter of India is classified as a forest land, which is owned and managed by the government. In fact, forestry is the second major land use after agriculture. A vast majority of India's population is acutely dependent on forests for meeting basic needs of fuel wood, fodder, timber for housing and agricultural implements, and food and medicines in the form of wild fruits, roots, herbs and so on. Of approximately 5.8 lakh villages in India, 1.7 lakh villagers with a total population of 14.7 crore are located in the vicinity of forests...editorial