Forest Economics
Forest Economics is a discipline that studies the production, management, distribution, and consumption of forest products and services.
It characterizes the mental calculus of a decision maker, whether a private landowner or a policy maker, by focusing on the relationship between ends and scarce means (resources) that have alternative uses.
In other words, forest economics is the study of choices relating to forest conservation and management.
Forest Nursery Technology
Theory
Introduction - scope for nursery technology. Nursery establishment - site selection – planning, and layout of nursery area. Bare root nursery techniques - types of nursery beds, preparation of beds, fumigation. Pre-sowing treatments. Methods of seed sowing and mulching, seed size and position of sowing, seedling growth and development, pricking. Watering methods, weeding, hoeing, rotation, organic matter supplements and cover crops, mycorrhizae, fertilization, shading, pruning, root culturing techniques, lifting windows, grading, and packaging. Storing and transportation. Containerized nursery technique - advantages, disadvantages - root deformations - container designs and types/root trainers and rooting media. Conditions/practices affecting survival and early growth, acclimating containerized stock, field handling of containerized stock, planting techniques for containerized stock. Planting bare-root seedlings: advantages, disadvantages, conditions/practices affecting early survival and early growth. Methods for field handling and planting bare-root stock. Type and size of containers. Merits and demerits of containerized nursery. Preparation of ingredient mixture. Nursery practices that influence seedling uniformity, diameter/height and size of root system. Study of important nursery pests and diseases and their control measures. Nursery practices for important tree species. Target seedling concept. Emerging trends in tropical forest nursery management.
Practical:
Preparation of production and planning schedule for bare root and containerized nurseries. Nursery site and bed preparation. Pre-sowing treatments. Sowing methods of small, medium, and large sized seeds. Pricking and transplanting of pricked out stock within nursery in transplant beds. Intermediate nursery management operations. Preparation of ingredient mixture. Filling of containers. Study of vegetative techniques – cutting, grafting etc. Visit to tissue culture laboratory and other forest nurseries.