Achievements

Salient Achievements/Highlights of Research by ICFRE and its Institutes

ICFRE

• Quinquennial Review System for independent review of schemes, projects and institutes/centers adopted.

• Consultancy Rules' finalized and adopted.

• Finalized B.Sc. Forestry Syllabus in consultation with State Agricultural Universities and sent it to ICAR for concurrence.

• Barrier analysis study for CDM A/R projects under EU-India Small Projects Facility Programme conducted.

• Participation in the UNFCCC Workshop on “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries” at Rome, Italy.

• Participation in the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP12/MOP 2) held at United Nations Office in Nairobi, Gigiri, Africa.

• DG, ICFRE attended second workshop on “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries”, from 7th to 9th March 2007 at Cairns, Australia.

• ICFRE is working for grant of ISO 9001:2000 Certification. The first audit by internal auditors was conducted from 11th to 13th July 2006. A shadow audit was also conducted on 7th and 8th August 2006 by the Consultancy Development Centre (CDC), New Delhi.

• The Council based on information received from regional ICFRE institutes and State Forest Departments, prepared a brochure “Miniature Nature (Preservation Plots) A Status Report of India”.

• Execution of a comprehensive project on “Samudai Adharit Samanvit Van Prabandhan Evam Sanrakshan Yojana in Bihar State” (Phase-I) in coordination with Environment and Forest Department of Bihar State.

• Provided Rs. 700.00 Lakhs as Grant-in-Aid to 22 universities in the financial year 2006-2007.

• Establishment of a nation wide network to facilitate collection, processing and dissemination of statistics pertaining to tropical timber and other forestry products parameters in India through ITTO funded project.

• RPC of ICFRE has approved 109 projects to be carried out under plan projects.

• The Council conducted Environmental Impact Assessment studies and formulation of Environmental Management Plan for Kotlibhel, Stage-II (530 MW), National Hydroelectric Power Corporation, Tehri/Pauri Garhwal Project.

• The Council conducted Rapid Environment Impact Assessment studies in ChandigarhIndustrial Area, PhaseIII for Chandigarh Administration, Chandigarh.

• Conducted monitoring and evaluation of projects funded by the Department of AYUSH, National Medicinal Plants Board under Promotional Commercial and Contractual Schemes being implemented by various agencies nationwide (except for central India).
   

INSTITUTES

• Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun conducted cultural studies, effect of pH, pathological resistance testing and fungicidal sensitivity, for 53 isolates of Fusarium solani collected from all over the country.

• FRI, Dehradun identified best performing clones of Dalbergia sissoo raised at Clonal Seed Orchard and Seedling Production Area, Bhitmera, Hissar (Haryana) (1997).

• FRI, Dehradun evaluated the health parameters of trees growing in New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), and suggested suitable management practices for up keep of trees.

• Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB), Coimbatore has developed a prototype database VAM WAMP environment namely “The In Silico Gene Bank for Abiotic Stress Tolerance - TIGBAST” for retrieval of information for salt tolerant genes.

• IFGTB has established two unpedigreed seedlings seed orchards one each of Eucalyptus camaldulensis and E. tereticornis, and a provenance - progeny trial of E. tereticornis in different locations in South India.

• IFGTB has standardized agroforestry models for black gram, horse gram and fodder sorghum with Accacia mangium.

• IFGTB has established Aonla based agroforestry models in farmers' fields with medicinal plant Withania somnifera.

• IFGTB reported the incidence of an invasive insect pest Leptocybe invasa Fisher and La Salle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) in Eucalyptus plantations, for the first time.

• IFGTB has standardized selection criteria for plus trees of Terminalia chebula.

• IFGTB has standardized estimation methods of active biochemical compounds for Terminalia bellerica.

• IFGTB has established 31 ha plantations of Casuarina equisetifolia in Andaman Group of Islands to stabilize the coastline.

• Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST), Bangalore collected data on 426 plant species out of which 26 lesser-known potential plant species were collected for the first time from the tribes of Godavari valley. A rare cane, Calamus latifolius Roxb. was collected for the first time from southern India.

• IWST has developed a simple, less expensive, user friendly and field oriented colour reaction for identification of high yielders in sandal.

• A total of 344 insect species belonging to 12 orders have been identified from the 6 selected sandal provenances by IWST.

• Studies commissioned by IWST on the sucking insect pests' complex of sandal exposed 73 species breeding on sandal. Out of these 14 species were reported for the first time.

• IWST published a book entitled “A guide to some imported timbers in south Indian markets” containing 25 species of imported timbers.

• Tropical Forest Research Institute (TFRI), Jabalpur found that supplementing egg parasitoid, Trichogramma raoi in teak seed orchards has proved effective to minimize the intensity of pest attack and loss in annual growth.

• TFRI, Jabalpur prepared and submitted compendium on Achanakmar Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve to Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.

• TFRI, Jabalpur identified new genera of fungi, Acrodictiella and Kamalomyces, reported for the first time and new to the science world.

• TFRI, Jabalpur screened four strains of Ganoderma lucidum for enzyme production, which has medicinal value.

• TFRI, Jabalpur has standardized cultivation techniques of Rauvolfia serpentina, Andrographis paniculata, Gymnema sylvestre and Tinospora cordifolia.

• TFRI, Jabalpur has developed non-destructive harvesting practices of Terminalia arjuna, Rauvolfia serpentina, Andrographis paniculata, Gymnema sylvestre and Tinospora cordifolia.