In Sudan the new government in 1985 brought with it fundamental reform to forest policy. This paper explored the development, structure and implications of the new Forests National Corporation and its Forestry Extension Division, which sought to extend governmental involvement in forestry beyond its prior confinement to forest reserves. The Extension Division was created under the guidance of the FAO-funded Fuelwood Development for Energy in the Sudan project. Field research by both the FAO and the CARE Eastern Refugee Reforestation Project found that although farmers were aware of desertification and fuel shortages, they only valued tree planting when it was incorporated into their overall farming systems.