Government of Andhra Pradesh

Forest Department

 

Ref No.12060 /2004/PMU –III/1

Dated. 16-12-2004

Office of the Prl. Chief Conservator of

Forests, Andhra Pradesh Hyderabad – 500001

 

Sri. S. K. Das IFS

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests

 

Circular No. 9/2004

Sub:- AP Forest Department – silvicultural practices for improvement of

forests - For poverty alleviation – Guidelines issued – Regarding

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In the Project Implementation Plan for implementation of A P Community forest Management Project instructions have been issued on various silvicultural practices that can be taken up for improvement of degraded forests.

It is also mentioned therein that these practices are only indicative and that they are to be adopted as per site specific requirements. Site specific planning is the essence of planning for the forestry practices under this project. With experience gained and observing the response of forests to these treatment practices, it is felt that innovative prescriptions are needed to maximize return of investments made under the project.

All the forest areas being treated under the project are broadly classified into Teak, Non teak miscellaneous, Red sanders, Bamboo and Scrub forests. In VSS areas these forest types are not likely to occur in pure forms, treatment models have been defined indicating pure teak, pure non teak, pure bamboo, pure Red sanders, Teak mixed with Bamboo, Non teak mixed with Bamboo, pure scrub forests in plain areas for conversion into plantations, pure scrub forests along gentle slopes for conversion into plantations, Teak forests mixed with scrub patches for planting and Non teak forests mixed with scrub patches for planting. Treatment and silvicultural practices are designed and described to suit the requirement of these categories of forests. Generally treatment in scrub forests that occur either in pure form (in plains or along gentle slopes) or in mixture with Teak or Non teak forests is their conversion into plantations of NTFP or Short Rotation Woody species and Medicinal Plants. In respect of Teak and Non teak forests including Red sanders forests the recommended practices are aiding natural regeneration through stool dressing (in viable root stock), coppicing and singling, stand management through silvicultural thinning, repeated shrub cutting, Soil and Moisture Conservation works, soil working and moisture conservation measures to give preferential treatment to selected NTFP species that occur naturally, Fire protection measures etc. In respect of Bamboo forests practices include decongestion, selective thinning of culms, mounding to young clumps, repeated shrub cutting, Soil and Moisture Conservation works, soil working and moisture conservation measures to give preferential treatment to selected NTFP species that occur naturally, Fire protection measures etc.

A review of these practices and the experience gained during the course of implementation of the project has revealed the following:

 

 

1.      These treatment practices cannot be uniformly applied to all forests of a particular category. Extent of degradation has a major bearing on deciding on specific treatment practice. eg. in misc. non teak forests in high rainfall zones may not respond only to the prescribed practices. In these areas there is need scale up investments on SMC works combined with stand management.

2.      Planting medicinal plants many of which are climbers and annuals in pure patches is not sustainable and instead they can be included as intercrops in plantations with wider espacement.

3.      Managing teak and non teak and Red sanders forests with the above mentioned prescriptions alone may not result in steady flow of returns to VSSs as these species have a long gestation/rotation period and at best they may yield periodic returns.

Considering all these factors and in order to ensure steady flow of income to VSSs towards achieving the Project objective of poverty alleviation, the following additional practices are now recommended:

1.      Take up planting medicinal plants as intercrops in plantations and as under crops in natural forests. In natural forest & under-planting should be taken up only in respect of species that are essentially climbers (eg. Maredu gedda, Shatavari, Tippateega, Podapatri).

2.      Take up silvicultural thinning to remove congestion in teak and non teak forests and old plantations under management by VSS and under planting of Bamboo using good quality two year old rhizomes.

3.      Take up activities to revamp old plantations of NTFP species under management by VSSs to make them procedure age. Activities here should include SMC works, soil working and preferential treatment to NTFP species (as is being done in natural forests), Fire control etc.

4.      Take up post harvest tending operations in respect of Eucalyptus and Teak plantations under management by VSSs. These operations should include stool dressing, coppicing, singling, SMC works, Fire control, removal of debris, interploughing (if possible), proper watch and ward from grazing, hacking etc.

5.      Scale up afforestation activities with Bamboo following semi mechanical methods of land preparation and planting two year old Rhizomes only.

These activities should be discussed with the VSS members and accordingly microplans should revised accordingly. These activities should be taken up with immediate effect. All the Conservators of Forests and Divisional Forest Offices are requested to bestow personal attention to these new programmes and ensure further success of the Project.

Sd/-S.K. DAS

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests

To,

All the Conservators of Forests

Copy to all Divisional Forest Officers, Sub Divisional Forest Officers, Forest Range Officers, Forest Section Officers, Forest Beat Officers

// True Copy//

 

for Prl.Chief Conservator of Forests