NEW AND EVENTS
One week training course on “Ecological Restoration of Mined Lands” organized for officers of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), Dhanbad.
Forest Ecology and Climate Change Division
Introduction:
Forest ecological studies were initiated at Forest Research Institute (Erstwhile Forest School) in 1906 under the Directorate of Silviculture research. The separate Forest Ecology Branch came into existence in 1948 and with this forest ecological research and systematic studies on forest typology, foliar diagnosis and the physiologico-ecological aspects of a number of important species were initiated. During the third Five-Year Plan, the schemes further added with special reference to ecological studies were Ecology of Wild Life, razing and Fodder Research, Dry zone Afforestation Techniques, Experimental Laboratory. The division has been reorganized further in April, 2016 by merging two erstwhile divisions viz., Forest Ecology & Environment and Climate Change and Forest Influence and renamed as Forest Ecology and Climate Change Division.
The contributions of C.G. Trevor and H.G. Champion are landmarks in Forest Ecology of India. Ecologist like Prof. G.S.Puri, Shri O.N. Kaul, Dr. S.K. Seth, Dr. M.A.W. Waheed Khan, Shri D.C. Sharma, Dr. P.B.L. Srivastava, Dr. I.M. Qureshi, Dr. S.C. Sharma, Dr. J.D.S. Negi and Dr. Prafulla Soni dedicated themselves for the cause of understanding ecological structure and functioning of natural and man made forests of India. Prof. G.S. Puri was one of the first to make measurements of litter production in Indian Forests and his several papers on leaf analysis studies paved the way to the development of production ecology in India. In recent years this division has made a significant contribution in restoration of mined degraded lands and also developed a model restoration programme for coal mined out areas of Bharat Coking Coal Ltd., Dhanbad and Northern Coalfields Ltd. Singrauli. Besides notable works on restoration of rock phosphate mines of Doon Valley, lime stone mines of Mussoorie hills, road metal and masonry stone mine of Faridabad Gurgaon Minerals, iron ore mines of Bolani (Odisha), uranium mines of Jaduguda and landslide stabilization of Varunavat, Uttarkashi have also been done by this division in the past.
Studies on ecosystem services of various natural and plantation ecosystems have been conducted alongwith establishing role of forests in resource conservation, rejuvenation of microclimate, pollution abatement and ecotourism. Biomass Expansion Factor and root to shoot ratio of eight important Indian tree species has been developed by the division.