Forest soil health cards to guide afforestation in J&K

Director General, Indian Council for Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Kanchan Devi, today inaugurated a one-day capacity building programme for the Forest Range Officers (FROs) and other frontline functionaries for Jammu and Kashmir Forest Department at the Forest Information Centre here.

The training programme was mainly focused on increasing the capacity of forest officials on soil test-based nutrient management practices and enrich knowledge about the forest ecosystems amongst the field functionaries.

During her presidential address, DG, ICFRE, highlighted the importance of forest soil health cards with special reference to Jammu & Kashmir. She said that under the programme launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India, forest soil health cards for all territorial forest divisions have been prepared. She called upon the field officers to plan their afforestation and plantation programmes keeping in view the parameters of soil health of the area for success of plantation programmes.

She told that there is a seamless connection between vegetation and soils. Forest soils develop over a long period of time under the influence of forest cover, bedrock and micro-organisms. Tree species/ vegetation growing in forested landscapes affect the soils as well as the microclimate, she added.

Similarly, growth and survival of trees and associated vegetation largely depends on the health of underlying soil layers. Therefore, understanding the nutrient status and health of forest soils is very essential so as to increase the forest productivity, enhance microbial populations and achieve success in plantation activities and maintain the forest ecosystem stability.

Suresh Kumar Gupta, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & HoFF, Jammu & Kashmir, expressed gratitude to ICFRE and HFRI, Shimla, for completion of forest soil health cards for territorial forest divisions of J&K. He advised all field functionaries attending the programme to seek guidance from the respective forest soil health cards of their divisions for raising quality planting material in the nurseries and successful afforestation in the field.