•• FFororestest OrganisationsOrganisations •• FFororestest DevDevelopmentelopment CorCorporationsporations •• FFororestrestryy SerServicesvices 7 FORESTRY INSTITUTIONS Forestry Organisations The forestry and related institutions play an important role in efficient management of forest and wildlife resources through capacity building of the personnel and people, and finding solutions to the subject matter problems through research and development. A brief account of important national level organisations is given below: Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, Dehradun The erstwhile Indian Forest College, Dehradun established in 1938 to train officers of the Superior Forest Service, was upgraded as IGNFA in May 1987 to function as a staff college for the IFS under the administrative control of the MoEF. The IFS officers are appointed to faculty as well as administrative positions on central deputation for fixed tenures by the MoEF under the Central Staffing Scheme. The Academy prepares a cadre of competent forest officers to manage India’s forest resources and serves as an apex institution for capacity building of forestry personnel. The Academy organises forestry professional induction training courses for the IFS probationers, skills-upgradation courses for the promoted IFS officers and a number of regular in-service refresher courses, training workshops and seminars for officers of various levels of seniorities. A number of trainers and trainees from foreign countries have undergone professional courses in the Academy. The Academy is also developing capacity for knowledge management in the forestry sector. Directorate of Forest Education, Dehradun After reorganization of FRI and Colleges and creation of ICFRE in the year 1987, the Directorate of Forest Education now functions under the direct administrative control of the MoEF. The Directorate is responsible for conducting induction training for the direct recruit officers of the SFS and the FROs. The Directorate also organizes a few short-term in-service training courses, training workshops and seminars for the SFS officers, FROs and the frontline staff (Deputy FROs, foresters and forest guards) in the colleges under its control as well as in the 97 INDIA’S FORESTS SFTSs in different parts of the country. At present, there are three SFS colleges at Burnihat, Coimbatore and Dehradun, and one forest rangers college, namely, the Eastern Forest Rangers College at Kurseong under the control of the Directorate. Also, the technical control over the state run rangers colleges vests with the Directorate. The forest officers are appointed to administrative and faculty positions in the Directorate and its colleges, on deputation by the MoEF for fixed tenures. Forest Survey of India, Dehradun The FSI was created in June 1981 with the objective of periodically monitoring the changing situation of land and forest resources, and for presenting the data for national planning, conservation and management of environmental preservation. After a critical review of its activities, the FSI was re-organized in 1986. The objectives of FSI are to prepare a comprehensive SFR including national forest vegetation map once in every two years; collect, store and make retrievable necessary forestry related data for planning, design methodologies relating to forest surveys; impart training in modern forest survey techniques to foresters; advise on design and development of basic forest inventory system, and support and oversee inventory work undertaken by the SFDs. The FSI is headed by a director with headquarters at Dehradun. The administrative and technical personnel include permanent cadre of technical and administrative staff, and IFS officers and Indian Statistical Service officers appointed on deputation basis. It has four regional offices, one each located at Shimla, Kolkata, Nagpur and Bangalore. Major functions of regional offices include organizing field-work to collect inventory data, interpretation of aerial photographs and conduct of wood consumption studies. The FSI is under the direct administrative control of the MoEF. Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, Dehradun On reorganization of forestry research, education and training in India, the ICFRE was established in December 1987 as an apex forestry research and education organization in the country. The ICFRE was subsequently granted autonomy in June 1991. The objectives of the Council are to undertake, aid, promote and coordinate forestry education, research and its applications, develop and maintain a national library and information centre for forestry research and allied sciences, act as a clearing-house for research and general information, develop forestry extension programmes and propagate the same, and to provide consultancy services in the fields of forestry research, education, training and allied sciences. It has eight research institutes and four advanced research centres which undertake thematic research and cater to the research needs on regional basis. The institutes are: Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun; Himalayan Forest Research Institute (HFRI), Shimla; Arid Forest Research Institute (AFRI), Jodhpur; Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB), Coimbatore; Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST), Bangalore; Rain Forest Research Institute (RFRI), Jorhat; Institute of Forest Productivity (IFP), Ranchi; and Tropical Forest Research Institute (TFRI), Jabalpur. The advanced research centres are located at Allahabad, Chhindwara and Hyderabad. A new Advanced Institute Research Centre for Bamboos and Rattans is being set up at Aizawl, Mizoram under the (RFRI), Jorhat. The activities of the Council are governed by ICFRE Society. The Board of Governors (BOG) of the Council oversees its planning, administration and FORESTRY INSTITUTION 98 financing. The Director General (DG), ICFRE is the chief executive of the Council. The scientific, technical and administrative personnel of the Council include permanent cadre of scientists and technical staff, as well as the IFS officers and SFS officers appointed on deputation for fixed tenures. The vision of the Council is to assist in efforts to increase the forest and tree cover and enhance forest productivity through operationalisation of National Forestry Action Programme (NFAP) and National Forestry Research Plan (NFRP). The NFRP launched in May 2000, has a time horizon of 20 years. The main source of funding of the Council is through grants-in-aid from the MoEF. The Council also generates its own resources by undertaking research projects, and consultancies for user agencies as well as through externally aided projects and registration of patents. The FRI, Dehradun has been granted the status of a ‘Deemed University’ in December 1991. The university at present conducts three postgraduate degree and three postgraduate diploma courses in various disciplines apart from awarding doctorate degrees in forestry, wildlife and environment related disciplines. Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal The Indian Institute of Forest Management was established as an autonomous institution in 1982 under the MoEF. The objectives of the institute are to provide training in management and related subjects to persons and personnel of forest related industries with a view to equipping them to practice the art and profession of management, in a most effective and efficient manner, prepare outstanding talented persons for careers leading to management responsibilities in forestry and forest-related systems, provide up-to-date information on forest management and carry out research in matters concerning the use of management, and allied techniques and methods conducive to the development of forestry. The activities of the Institute are governed by IIFM Society. The BOG of the Institute oversee its planning, administration and financing. The personnel of the Institute include administrative staff, permanent faculty and IFS officers on deputation for fixed tenures. The main source of funding is through annual grants-in-aid from the MoEF, consultancies and projects undertaken by the Institute for the user agencies. The Institute has established two corpus funds, one Swedish International Development Agency Corpus Fund for payment of stipend to the candidates undergoing post-graduate programme in forestry management, and the other with the revenue generated through various sources to be utilized for self-sustenance of the Institute once adequate corpus is established. The major activities include organising of two-year post-graduate programme in forest management, one-year post-graduate course in Natural Resource Management (NRM), management development programmes in general management, sectoral management and functional management, research projects and consultancies of inter-disciplinary nature. The candidates completing courses in forest management and NRM find placements in forest- based institutions, industries, NGOs, international organisations and NRM related consultancy firms. Indian Plywood Industries Research and Training Institute, Bangalore In 1962 an Indian Plywood Manufacturers’ Research Association was formed as a co-operative research laboratory under the umbrella of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for undertaking applied research on plywood. It was re-designated as Indian Plywood Industries Research and Training Institute in 99 INDIA’S FORESTS 1970. Later recognizing IPIRTI’s greater role in conservation of natural resources,