Abstract
Excessive felling and grazing, incendiaries, and mismanagement have resulted in degradation of a number of conifer forests of Pinus roxburghii, Cedrus deodara and Pinus wallichiana in Rajgarh Forest Division of Himachal Pradesh. The forests are irregular, very open and under-stocked. Regeneration is either absent or deficient. With intensive care and proper forest management practices the forests can be rehabilitated and brought back to normalcy. Natural regeneration has to be supplemented with sowing and planting. Felling and resin tapping have to be stopped. Hygienic and salvage removals should be permitted to meet the right holder’s demand. Adequate mother trees as seed bearers, middle aged trees as advance growth, mature trees as fire insurance and young poles as future crops are to be retained. No attempt should be made to remove the prescribed yield. Felling methods have to be followed strictly. Pinus roxburghii, Cedrus deodara, Pinus wallichiana and broad-leaved species of economic importance should be preferred in planting programs. The areas have to be restocked by post planting treatment and care including subsidiary silvicultural operations, fire protection, control on grazing and lopping and maintenance of effective closures for the degraded forests to be rehabilitated.
Keywords
Lopping, Stocked, Reserved, Stock-mapping, Restock