The framing of a suitable working plan thus involves an intimate knowledge of the requirements of the various species dealt with and of their rate of growth, knowledge which depends largely on the results of scientific research, and without which working plans must necessarily be of a tentative and provisional nature, as indeed many Indian plans are at present.

Although concern about and interest in the global role and fate of forests are currently great, the existing level of knowledge about forests is inadequate to develop sound forest management policies. Current knowledge and patterns of research will not result in sufficiently accurate predictions of the consequences of potentially harmful influences on forests, including forest management practices that lack a sound basis in biological knowledge. The deficiency will reduce our ability to maintain or enhance forest productivity, recreation, and conservation as well as our ability to ameliorate or adapt to changes in the global environment.