2006-07 - Kerala Forest Research Institute

Annual report 2006-07Kerala Forest Research Instituteretrieval system on forest resources ofKerala.• To develop prediction models useful forforest resource management in the Statebased on statistical analysis of data.• To host the database on a website so thatspecific data are made available to the realusers.Date of Commencement : 2004 AprilDate of Completion : 2007 MarchBudget: Rs. 3.10 lakhsSponsoring Agency : Planning and EconomicAffairs Dept.,Govt. of Kerala.....................................................................................................................................................................................Data on different themes were gathered and adata retrieval system was developed usingVisual Basic program. Further updating of thedatabase is underway. Using the data availablein the database, two major analyses were carriedout.The projection of availability of teakwoodfrom forest plantations was undertaken underdifferent scenarios, taking into account thefactors such as age structure, rotation age,thinning and produ-ctivity. The comparison ofprojected availability of teakwood with theprojected demand revealed that the existinglevel of teak plantations is potential enough tomeet the future demand up to the period 2030to 2040.Based on the current prices of teakwood fromthe year 1942 to 2006, the short-term priceforecasts were made using Artificial NeuralNetwork and Auto Regressive IntegratedMoving Average models. The price forecastsindicated that the export class (mid girth of185 cm and above) and Girth Class I (150-184cm) would fetch higher prices than the lowergirth classes in the year 2007, might be due tohigh demand for quality teak wood.Potential of using coir geo-textiles in ahighly degraded area in the Western Ghatsfor improving the soil and productivityInvestigator(s): Balagopalan, M., Rugmini, P.,Balan, K. (Coir Dev. Corp., Alapuzha)Objectives• To estimate the quantity of soils erodedand the loss in soil nutrients in degradedareas as brought about by coir geo-textiles• To find out the changes in soil physicalproperties• To evaluate the economics of using coirgeo-textiles in degraded lands• To conduct a workshop for KeralaForest Department on the significance ofusing coir geo-textiles in degraded areasDate of Commencement : 2004 AprilDate of Completion : 2007 MarchBudget: Rs. 4.75 lakhsSponsoring Agency : Planning and EconomicAffairs Dept.,Govt. of Kerala.An area of 3 ha was selected at Vettukkad inthe Wadakkancherry Range for planting roottrainer seedlings (2.5m x 2.5m spacing) andstumps (2m x 2m spacing). Two nutrientcombinations - Control and High inputmanagement (T Iand T 2) were followed withthree coir geo-textile size levels, viz., Withoutcoir geo-textiles (A), 1 cm x 1cm size and (B)and 2 cm x 2 cm size (C). There were threereplications and plots. This was done in twolocalities, the total number of plots being 36.Traps were placed at different places toevaluate the quantity of soil eroded. The soilsin the traps were weighed and the N, P, K, Caand Mg contents were found out. Soils werecollected from different plots and characterized.Soil temperature and moisture contentswere recorded at different periods. Growth38