CHENNAI: Officials of the Kodaikanal Forest Division have successfully raised shola plantations in six forest ranges.
A. Venkatesh, District Forest Officer, Kodaikanal, said the shola saplings were planted on 875 hectares in the last two years.
During 2005-06, 800 hectares was covered, and in the following year, 75 hectares came under plantations.
Originally, the Kodaikanal area had two main types of eco-system: one was the shola forest and the other the grassland eco-system.
Nearly three decades ago, these areas were covered with wattle and eucalyptus for commercial purposes, said officials.
A couple of years ago, the wattle in the Berijam, Kodaikanal, Mannavanur, Perumballam, Poombarai and Vandaravu forest ranges were cleared, and shola saplings planted, Mr Venkatesh said.
The seeds collected from various shola pockets were raised in a central nursery at Mannavanur.
The saplings were kept in the mist chamber for over a year and planted after they had grown to a height of one and half metres.
A pit measuring 60 cm was dug up and 50 gram of poultry manure was filled in before the sapling was planted.
Then it was covered with chicken mesh to protect the sapling from destruction.
Frost attack
During November and December, they were covered with gunny bags to avoid frost attack, Mr. Venkatesh said.
The officials claimed a 85 per cent success in all the six forest ranges where shola saplings were planted.
At present the wattle and eucalyptus plantations were spread on nearly 7,200 hectares throughout the Kodaikanal Forest Division.
“If these plantations are cleared, we can take up the planting of sholas to bring back the natural vegetation in the Kodaikanal forests,” Mr Venkatesh said.
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