STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Director General of Indian Council for Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Kanchan Devi, inaugurated a one-day capacity-building programme for Forest Range Officers (FROs) and frontline functionaries of the Jammu & Kashmir Forest Department at the Forest Information Centre, Bikram Chowk.
The training focused on Soil Test-Based Nutrient Management Practices and enhancing field-level knowledge of forest ecosystems. In her inaugural address, DG Kanchan Devi highlighted the significance of Forest Soil Health Cards (FSHCs), especially for Jammu & Kashmir. She emphasized that under a Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) initiative, FSHCs for all territorial forest divisions in J&K have been prepared to guide afforestation planning based on soil parameters.
She underscored the intrinsic link between vegetation and soil health, explaining that forest soils evolve through the interaction of cover, bedrock, and micro-organisms. The survival and productivity of trees are directly dependent on the nutrient status of the underlying soil. Unlike agricultural soils, forest soils are shaped by natural nutrient cycling and rhizosphere biology, necessitating a separate scientific approach for assessment.
The FSHCs initiative, under the CAMPA scheme of MoEFCC, is the first of its kind in India, aiming to assess nutrient status in forest soils and formulate targeted management strategies for degraded areas. ICFRE, with its nine regional research institutes across India, is leading this effort.
Suresh Kumar Gupta, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force (HoFF), J&K, lauded ICFRE and its regional institute, Himalayan Forest Research Institute (HFRI), Shimla, for completing the FSHCs for J&K. He urged officers to use these cards to raise high-quality nursery stock and ensure successful plantation outcomes. He emphasized the need to restore soil health to meet India’s climate goals of creating a carbon sink of 2.5-3 billion tonnes by 2030.
Dr. Sandeep Sharma, Director HFRI Shimla, shared that soil samples were collected from multiple forest types in J&K, analyzed under standard protocols, and integrated with GIS tools. The cards aim to help ground-level staff practically manage forest soils.
During technical sessions, Dr. R.K. Verma and Dr. Vijender Pal Panwar provided detailed insights into sampling methodologies, project execution, and GIS-based site selection.
Over 100 officers, including PCCFs, Conservators, DFOs, and Range Officers, participated in the programme both physically and virtually. The Forest Soil Health Cards of J&K were officially released during the event.
