Plan to promote plantation

Hyderabad: In order to promote tree plantation and increase the green cover across the State, the Telangana State government has approved a proposal of Forest Department. As part of the proposal, plantation of trees by individuals and communities will be promoted on dry lands which are poor in fertility.

Telangana State Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, in this regard, has signed on the Collaborative Research on Reforestation of ROFR (Recognition of Forest Rights) lands submitted by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests P K Sharma on Tuesday. With this initiative, the government plans to increase the tree cover in the State from 24 per cent to 33 per cent.

For the above purpose, a site measuring approximately 40 hectares would be set apart at Mulugu forest in Medak District. The above exercise will be taken up jointly as a “Collaborative Research Project” by the Forest Department and Horticulture Department. As per the proposal, the forest department will take up research in a collaborative mode with the Horticulture University.

It will also take up experiments with different types of Horticulture, Silviculture and Agriculture species so as to improve the economic status of the individuals and communities in general and also to maximise and harness the productivity of these lands. The collaborative research would help increase the productivity of lands by choosing the right tree species in proper combination.

The suggested possible combination of models proposed for this collaborative approach are: Agri-Silviculture models (tree and agriculture crops); Agri-Horticulture models (agriculture crops and fruit crop models); Silvi-Horticulture models (tree and fruit crop models); Agri-Silvi-Horticulture models (crop, tree and fruit crop models); Silvi-Hortipasture (trees, Fruit crops and fodder crop models) and Agri-Silvi pasture (crop and fodder crop models).

The project will comprise research plots/demonstration field school for Tribal farmers who are cultivating mostly Horticulture crops in ROFR lands and training facilities for imparting training to the RoFR right holders. Special Secretary to CM K Bhoopal Reddy and Priyanka Verghese were present when the proposal was submitted and finalised in the Camp Office on Tuesday evening by the Chief Minister.