CHAPTER IX BASIS OF PROPOSALS 9.1. General objectives of Management The forests of Lidder Division shall be managed with a view to achieve the following objectives. 1) To conserve biodiversity and natural habitat through preservation of natural forests with vast variety of flora and fauna. 2) Rehabilitation of degraded forests to optimize their productivity and their potential to provide goods and services on sustainable basis. 3) Poverty alleviation of forest dependent communities through sustainable supply of goods and services. 4) Checking denudation and erosion in catchments. 5) Maintenance of health of forest vegetation and soil for improving water supply and quality. 6) To convert irregular forests into normal forests in accordance with the silvicultural requirements of the crop. 7) To conserve medicinal plants/non timber forest produces by applying scientific principles and development of same for sustainable utilization for the benefit of public. 8) To utilize natural resources to encourage responsive, low carbon foot print ecotourism, to improve the economy of local populations. 9) To preserve forests for aesthetic look and for public recreation. e.g. Pahalgam, Aru, Chandanwari etc. 10) To maintain congenial environment for wildlife through habitat management and to reduce man-animal conflict through training of staff and creation of awareness among masses. 11) The secure regeneration of conifer species in previously worked forest area thorough assisted natural regeneration and artificial regeneration. 12) To improve the vegetal cover by establishing plantations on the denuded and bare hill slopes with indigenous plants as for as possible. 13) To adopt principles and practices of sustaining grazing through participatory management. 14) Consistent with the above, to obtain sustainable yield of timber and to exploit species of economic value without disturbing the ecological balance of the area. 9.2. Method of treatment to be adopted. 9.2.1 Keeping in view the above objectives of the forest management, the experience gained from the previous management practices and the 82 silvicultural requirements of the principal species, following treatments are proposed: 1) All the forests occurring on steep and precipitous slopes situated in the catchment area will be protected from degradation in any shape. 2) All degraded low lying Deodar-Kail forests near habitation will be taken under improvement and rehabilitation schemes, as all these forests have been severely affected due to over exploitation or other biotic interferences. 3) Forests around tourist places shall not only be preserved for aesthetic purposes, but shall also be protected against degradation and encroachments owing to the ever increasing tourist business. 4) Areas that have previously been worked and in which regeneration has failed to establish shall be restocked by artificial regeneration and assisted natural regeneration. 5) Degraded forests covered with un-commercial bushes and shrubs shall be planted with grasses to meet the demand for fodder. 6) Scientific survey on availability of NTFP will be done to assess their population in different compartments and to develop good agricultural and collection practices by taking the help of institutions specialized in such aspects. 7) All the easily accessible and workable forests will be managed for productive purposes to meet the demands of people keeping in view silvicultural requirements of the species. However, thrust will be shifted from the point of view of exploitation of timber/Firewood resources, to the conservation of trees and all other biodiversity for its importance in carbon sequestration and carbon deposits are very indispensible tools of reversal of global warming and eventual climatic change. 9.2. Constitution of working circles, their area and distribution 9.3.1 A tree is no more looked upon as a mere source of timber or Firewood for sustenance. It is now considerd as indispensible for the very human survival and an almost only natural agent for carbon sequestration and carbon deposition. It is most effective tool for controlling global warming and eventual climatic change. We can no more afford heavy or large scale commercial felling in forests. The thrust now must shift from commercialization of forests to their conservation. Instead of direct benefits from forests by way of timber and Firewood, we must now lookout for the more sustainable and perpetual resources like air, water, medicinal resources, ecotourism and general tourism. 83 9.3.2 This has to be kept in mind while proposing/framing the plan again, keeping in view the experience gained from the past management practices and adoption of the new state forest policy 2010 and in consistency with the silvicultural demands/requirements of the crop and area, the following working circles are to be proposed each with its special management objectives and treatment methodology. 1) Deodar Kail selection working circle. 2) Fir selection working circle. 3) Ecological conservation working circle 4) Reboisement working circle. 5) Bio-Aesthetic working circle 6) NTFP (overlapping) working circle. 7) Joint Forest Management (overlapping) working circle. 8) Plantation (Overlapping) working circle. 9) Forest Protection (overlapping) working circle. 10) Wildlife Management (overlapping) working circle. 11) Willow Plantation working circle. 9.3.3 The compartment wise area allotted to each of the working circles from 1 to 5 above, have been listed under Appendix III to VII. They are allotted to each of the Non-overlapping Working Circle is given as under. Table: 9.1 Working Circle wise area allotted S. Working Circle Area (ha) No. 1 DeodarKail Selection Working Circle 8947.75 2 Fir selection Working Circle 6560.75 3 Ecological Conservation Working Circle 37306.5 4 Reboisement Working Circle 10676 5 Bio-Aesthetic Working Circle 2075.5 Total 65566.50 9.4. Reasons for the constitution of the Working Circle 9.4.1 The allotment of compartments to various working circles in the previous plan by Shri Shamim Mohammad Khan has been retained in this plan except for the fact that the Deodar Kail conversion working circle was changed to Deodar Kail selection working circle. This was done with a view to avoid unnecessary sacrifice of advanced growth, as there is tremendous pressure on forests from unregulated, unscientific, overgrazing, opening up of the canopy as is done in uniform system can lead to failure of regeneration and occupation of open space by 84 unwanted weed growth and to avoid soil erosion and further deterioration and also to have flexibility in operation. 9.5 Brief Description of Working Circles 1. Deodar Kail selection working circle. The working circle shall comprise of all accessible well stocked, productive and commercially exploitable compartments of the Division with predominantly Kail and Deodar crops in pure and mixed formations. Some Fir is also found towards higher elevations while patches of broad leaved species met with in moist depressions and nallahs. The constitution of this working circle will be almost same as that of previous working plan; very few compartments which were degraded were shifted to Reboisement Working circle 2. Fir selection working circle The working circle comprises of all low lying accessible and well stocked commercially exploitable Fir forests. Fir is predominant species forming pure belts but also occurs in mixture with Kail and spruce at places. These forests have young to middle aged crop in the areas which have been exploited in the part, while as the patches which have not been exploited contain middle aged to mature crop. The regeneration in the form of advance growth is inadequate and ill distributed, with intense biotic pressure. There is no change in compartments with an exception of few compartments which were shifted to Reboisement Working Circle and Bio-Aesthetic Working Circle. 3. The Ecological Conservation Working Circle The Working circle shall comprise of poor stocked and open forest areas occurring on high steep and precipitous slopes. These forests consist mainly of high level Fir forests situated at the sources of main streams and Nallahs. Vast alpine forests are also included in this working circle. The forests of this working circle are unsuitable for regular working as there are inaccessible and have critical crop composition. Kail mixed with main species, Fir at exposed sties is generally under stocked, poor qualitatively and quantitatively with poor regeneration. Towards higher elevations, Fir fades out and merges with alpine vegetation with ground flora, mostly of seasonal grasses and herbs with scattered bushes of Betula, Rhododendron and junipers. The forests have shunted growth and are environmentally sensitive, facing tremendous pressure of summer grazing through cattle rearing activities of Gujjars and Bakerwalls. The forest harbor rich diversity of medicinal plants and 85 wildlife. The compartments included are the same as in “Protection Working Circle” of previous working plan with an exception of few compartments which were shifted to Deodar- Kail Selection Working circle and Fir Selection Working Circle. The nomenclature of the working circle is changed in view of the objectives to suit the current needs. 4. The Reboisement working circle It comprises of all those forests which are poorly stocked and are not fit for any regular working circle. These forests have suffered a lot in the past because of being in close proximity to the habitations. These forests have suffered