Forest Department to develop fruit-bearing orchards in Dakshina Kannada

Deputy Conservator of Forests Y.K. Dinesh Kumar say the Forest Department is trying to create model fruit-bearing tree orchards in forest areas

The Forest Department will continue to plant fruit-bearing trees in forest areas in Dakshina Kannada, especially in the space created after the felling of acacia trees this year.

Deputy Conservator of Forests Y.K. Dinesh Kumar told The Hindu that the department is trying to create model fruit-bearing tree orchards in forest areas.

“If it’s a wide open space, we will plant saplings of ficus trees namely Arali, Aala, Basari, Goni, Pejavu and Geragatti. If there is shade, then we will plant saplings of wild fruit trees namely Punarpuli (kokum), Mantuhuli, Undehuli, and Jarihuli,” Mr. Kumar said.

The department will separately plant saplings of Atrocropus trees namely Halasu (Jackfruit), Hebbalasu (wild jackfruit) and Jeegujje (bread fruit). The department will create space for planting saplings of rare fruit-bearing trees namely Neerale, Kolijuttu, Mavu (mango), Kuntaneerale, Abluka, and Chape.

“We will not have a mixture of varieties of trees but each tree orchard will be of a particular variety of fruit-bearing trees,” he said. The planting will be as per the nature of the place, he added.

Mr. Kumar said these fruit-bearing tree orchards will come up in the 200 hectares of forest and deemed forest land. Each forest range will have a fruit-bearing tree orchard in about five hectares of land. A list of saplings of fruit-bearing trees in the department’s nurseries has been prepared. The planting exercise will start with the commencement of rainy season, he said.

The DCF said permission has been sought this year for removal of acasia trees in 200 hectares of forest land. “These trees will be disposed of as per the procedure prescribed for disposal of firewood,” he said.