Ref. No. 19908/2002-UI Dated : 07-08-2002

CIRCULAR NO. 04 / 2002 / UI

Sub : Raising of Avenue / Canal Bank Plantation – Certain instructions issued – Regarding.

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Avenue and Canal Bank Plantations are being raised by the Forest Department from time to time. The Conservator of Forests are informed that raising of Avenue / Canal Bank Plantations is one of the most difficult and challenging tasks. To ensure success, proper planning is needed right from the time of site preparation till the plants are established and reach a stage of beyond damage in ordinary sense.

The following points should be kept in mind while taking up Avenue / Canal Bank Plantations :

1. a) Treatment Maps :- A treatment map has to be prepared for the stretch of the planning site not to any scale. The main features of the area are to be shown e.g., unsuitable patches, low lying area are to be given to the villagers or cattle etc.

b) Site Preparation :- Adequate site preparation is needed to have a proper size of the pit, the digging of the pit and the treatment required planting the plant in t he pit. A pit of 60 cm cube has been found suitable.

2. a) Only tall plant of 1 ½ m to 2 m height should be planted. So that the plants go beyond damage from browsing within a short period of time.

b) Before planting the pit should be filled with ½ cft dry Cowdung and basal dressing of 100 grm SSP should be applied.

c) While planting the tall plants, the bag should not be removed, only a few cuts at the bottom may be given by a sharp blade. It has been found by experience / experiment that the planting done with bags has better survival and growth compared to that when the bags are removed. This is because while removing the bag of the tall plant the ball of the earth is broken and consequently transplanting shock is very heavy.

3. As far as possible the fruit bearing trees useful to the people like Tamarind, Nereda, Kanuga, Neem and long rotation species like Ficus etc. should be planted. To break the monotony, a few ornamental flowering trees should be planted at regular intervals. Preferably one particular stretch of ½ to 1 km should be raised with one main avenue species like, Ravi, Marri, Neredu and Tamarind etc.

4. Wherever suitable space is available multiple row avenue should be raised at least for a stretch of 200 m. in multiple row avenue stretch the auxiliary species should be Kanuga, Eucalyptus, Usiri, An auriculiformis, glyricidia etc, espacement of 2m to 5m at the suitable point where soil depth is adequate shoild be adopted.

5. Palmyrah nuts should be dibbled 1m apart on the outer boundary of road margins abutting the agriculture fields.

6. Fencing : Adequate measures should be taken to protect the plants from biotic and abiotic pressure. Tress should provided with proper treeguards wherever needed and thorny brushwood fencing in multiple row strip.

7. Watering : During the period of moisture stress, watering should be taken up to ensure better survival and growth.

Since watering regularly is costly and cannot be controlled / supervised very easily, the best way to raise successful plantations is to provide a very effective mulching of ground nut husk to a depth of 25-30 cm for each main row avenue plant and for doing so, while planting avenue plant in the pit, upper part of the pit to a depth of 30 cm should not be filled with soil.

The cost of mulching will be more than recovered by reducing the frequency of watering by 50%.

8. Adequate seedlings of species like tamarind, kanuga, neem, ficus etc., should be raised in the primary bed one year in advance from June to August, so that there may be sufficient stock of tall plants for future planting. This should be taken up as a continuous well planned regular programme for every year.

The Conservators of Forests are requested to monitor the planting programme closely while keeping the above points in mind.

Sd/

( S.K.Das )

Prl.Chief Conservator of Forest

To

All the Conservators of Forests.

Copy to all Dy. Conservator of Forests ( P & E ) for information and necessary action.

They may bring the above points to the notice of other agencies in the district engaged in avenue plantation.