A week-long training on silviculture/ forestry for the personnel of eco-battalion of Territorial Army began at the Forest Research Institute here on Monday.
The training being organised by the FRI Silviculture division as a joint venture with 127 (TA) Garhwal Rifles is being attended by about 50 personnel of various ranks including colonel, lieutenant colonel, major,junior commissioned officers and jawans from 8 Eco Battalion of the Territorial Army and four infantry battalions from various parts of the nation including Assam, Rajasthan, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Speaking at the inauguration, FRI director Savita commended the work of the territorial army eco battalions on afforestation of degraded and disturbed sites.
This training programme will provide scientific inputs on nursery raising and plantation management to the participants. She stated 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 are also carrying out plantation activities in Clean Ganga Mission.
Addressing the participants on the occasion, the FRI Silviculture division head Dr Neelu Gera said that the institute regularly organises training on nursery and plantation technology for State Forest Departments and eco battalions of Eco Task Force from across the country.
Earlier, course coordinator Manish Thapliyal and Dr Ombir Singh gave a detailed report of the course and stated that more emphasis is being laid 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, nursery techniques of important tree species of Assam, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
The training lectures to be held at FRI will also include topics like soil fertility management in nursery and plantations, afforestation of difficult sites and management of fungal and insect-pest diseases in nursery and plantations.