Laying foundation for its efforts to restore lost grasslands in forests across the State, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department in collaboration with the Forest College and Research Institute (FCRI), Mettupalayam, has launched works for setting up a model grass restoration plot in Sirumugai forest range in Coimbatore district.
The FCRI team has identified one hectare land in Pethikuttai reserve forest, a dry-deciduous forest area of Sirumugai range, which will be converted into the model grass restoration plot at a cost of ₹ 6 lakh in a year.
It will serve as the model plot for the Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation and Greening Project for Climate Change Response (TBGPCCR) for its Meipulam project to restore 520 hectares of forests in 22 forest divisions across the State.
According to I. Anwardeen, Additional Principal Conservator of Forests and chief project director of TBGPCCR, the primary objective of the model plot is to offer valuable insights into grassland restoration techniques for frontline forest department staff.
“The model plot is a place where the team will apply various techniques of the grass restoration that can be replicated in other forest divisions. It is a research-cum-field activity under the supervision of the FCRI team,” he said.
Though close proximity to the Bhavanisagar reservoir attracts large herbivores like elephants to Pethikuttai in the summer, the area has witnessed deaths of several pachyderms due to lack of adequate fodder and other unidentified reasons in the past.
The FCRI team, headed by K. Baranidharan from the Department of Forest Products and Wildlife, carried out a habitat analysis of the identified area for model plot on January 27.
The area has been demarcated and works will begin with the removal of invasive plants, largely comprising Lantana camara and Prosopis juliflora, which have almost replaced the natural vegetation.
The team also carried out a cover density study before eradicating Lantana bushes. Based on the assessment findings, appropriate scientific measures will be implemented to eradicate the invasive plants.
After the removal of invasive plants, a meticulous selection process will be undertaken to identify native grass species with high fodder value for the restoration work.
Mr. Baranidharan said the selection of native grasses would be done based on three basic parameters. “Firstly, the grasses could be propagated easily. They should grow easily. Finally, they should be palatable to almost all the herbivores that occur in the area,” he said.
After the launch of the Meipulam project, the FCRI team conducted hands-on training sessions for field staff attached to various forest divisions to identify selected grass species, techniques to collect their seeds and propagate them using various methods.
