working plan of ferozepur forest division - Pbforests.gov.in

2.2.2 GrazingGrazing and browsing is a sever threat to the young plantations in the strip forests as theadjoining fields are cultivated and cattle have no other place for grazing. The major reason forthis grazing pressure is the shrinking of pasture areas in the village common lands due tochanged land-use pattern. Though the percentage of migrant grazers coming from neighboringstates like Rajasthan is relatively low, their effect is quite drastic. This practice of permitting ofgrazing has to be discouraged and should be strictly enforced in future also as the damage causedby grazing and browsing is very high.The measures to control the menace of grazing should be discussed in the Chapter ofMiscellaneous Regulations (Chapter XIV).2.2.3 Insects and pestsIn the previous Working Plan period insect and pest attack was severe in Kikar andShisham and there was a large scale casualty of these species. The department had engaged ateam of scientists from Y.S.Parmar University, Solan, Himachal Pradesh to study the occurrenceof drying of these species. The study report has attributed this mortality to combination of factorslike change in climate, depletion of ground water level apart from pests and diseases.2.2.4 Illicit FellingThere is a tendency of the farmers to remove trees along their fields from the strips/ blockforest and gradually encroach upon Government land. The local people also cut trees to meettheir requirements of timber. The intensity of this type of felling is high near the towns andvillages. Apart from this, organized gang of illicit fellers are also present in the Ferozepur forestdivision. The incidences of illicit feling are more frequent during winter season.27