Government of Andhra Pradesh
(Forest Department)
|
Rc.No.9308/2005/PMU.I/1
Date:
28.02.2005
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Office
of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests - Andhra Pradesh
- Hyderabad.
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SRI S.K. DAS, I.F.S.,
PRINCIPAL CHIEF CONSERVATOR OF FORESTS
CIRCULAR NO. 02/PMU-I/1/2005
Sub: Preferential
Treatment to NTFP Species in the natural
forests - Area allotted to VSS - Certain
guidelines - issued
Regarding.
Ref: This office
ref.no.45008/2003/PMU.I/1, dated 17.11.2003
Certain
guidelines have been issued in the reference cited above to take
up preferential treatment to the Seethaphal plants that are available
in the VSS area of the forests. The preferential treatment was
mainly in the form of soil working / providing semi lunar trench
to the plants in order to make more moisture available to the
plants as the State is passing through recurrent droughts.
It is reported by the field officers that the plants which
have been provided with such operations are yielding many fruits
of big size.
It is considered necessary that such
treatment should be given to other important NTFP species like
Usiri, Neredu, Tamarind, Jack etc. The preferential treatment
may be one of the following tending operations:-
(1) Soil working to the plants to a radious
of .5 Mt. to 1 Mt. removing the grass around the plants.
(2) Soil working and providing a semi
lunar trench at least at a distance of .5 Mt. at the lower side
of the slope. The semi lunar trench may be of the dimension of
30 cm (width) x 30 cm (depth) x L cm.
The semi lunar trench should form half the circle around
the plant.
(3) In case of bamboo, decongestion of
clump and soil working upto a distance of 0.5 m. from the
periphery of the clump may be taken up. A small mound to a height of 25 cmt. may be
provided to the clump. A
semilunar trench in the lower side may be provided and the dug
out earth used for mound formation to the clump. The dimensions
of the trench may be bigger if the clump size is medium to big
It should be noted that big trees of
Usiri, Tamarind, Mango, Neredu, Jackfruit should not be provided
with such operations. For
the big trees, advice of the Horticulturist may be obtained. These
tending operations should be provided only to young seedlings
upto the age when they start bearing fruits.
(4) In many VSS forests, profuse regeneration
of phoenix (phoenix ecaulis) is found in a patch of 1 to 5 hectares
of area.
Such areas should be protected against
fire by digging a series of staggered trenches all over the area
and removing the fire hazards every year before the advent of
the fire season. With these efforts the palm-tope will become
a great asset to the local community within a short time.
Any of these operations will result in
preventing the fire to reach the plant even if occurs accidently
in the area.
These operations should be taken up only
after carrying out enumeration of the NTFP plants in the area
and getting the estimates sanctioned by the competent authority.
Sd/-
(S.K. DAS)
PRINCIPAL CHIEF CONSERVATOR OF FORESTS
To
All
the Conservators of Forests (Territorial, Wildlife & SF)
All
the Divisional Forest Officers (Territorial, Wildlife &SF)
Copy
to all the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests/Chief
Conservators of Forests for information with a request to take
up the subject with the field staff on tour.
Copy
to stock file
// t.c.b.o. //
Superintendent