Eco Battalion men get forestry training
Tribune News Service
Dehradun, January 25
A week-long training on silviculture and forestry was started by the silviculture division of Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun, for personnel of Eco Battalion of Territorial Army here today.
The course is a joint venture of FRI, Dehradun, and 127 (TA) Garhwal Rifles, Dehradun. About 50 personnel of all ranks from 8 Eco Battalion of Territorial Army and 4 Infantry Battalions from across the country are participating in the training programme.
Inaugurating the training course, Dr Savita, Director of FRI, said Eco Battalions of Territorial Army were doing a commendable work on afforestation of degraded and disturbed sites and this training would provide them scientific inputs on nursery raising and plantation managements. She stressed that some more lectures on afforestation at difficult sites in the Ganga Basin would also be included in the training course as all the Eco Task Force battalions were also carrying out plantation activities during the Clean Ganga Project.
Dr Neelu Gera, head, silviculture division, said the institute was regularly organising training on nursery and plantation technology for State Forest Departments and Eco Battalions of Eco Task Force all over the country.
Earlier, Dr Ombir Singh and Dr Manish Thapliyal, course coordinators, gave a detailed report of the course and said more emphasis was on practical exposure in nursery and plantation activities. The training module includes the techniques of seed dormancy pre-treatments, seed storage, clonal propagation of bamboo and nursery techniques of important tree species of Assam, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, HP and J&K. The training lectures also include soil fertility management in nursery and plantations, afforestation at difficult sites and management of fungal, insects and pests in nursery and plantations.
