The research is being conducted at four different locations (Kayampoovam, Punnala, Vattavada and Surianelli) in Kerala, India and is based on the two main eucalypts (Eucalyptus tereticornis and E. grandis) used in industrial plantations in the region. At each location, experimental plots were established in 1998 to investigate aspects of harvest residue management (6 treatments including burning), nutrient application, ground vegetation control, use of legume undercrops (species not given) to increase soil fertility and practical methods of water and soil conservation. Within the general experimental framework established, research is focused on four inter-linked subprojects, investigating the impact of silvicultural options on: (1) nutrient status and nutrient cycling, (2) plant physiology and water relations (3) tree growth and nutrient uptake and (4) soil process and tree growth modelling. In this paper we give details of the research programmes and describe initial results on site inventory, turnover of nutrients in harvest residues and plant physiological and tree growth responses to applied treatments.