Dehradun: Forest Research Institute under the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, Dehradun is organizing a Virtual training Programme on High-Tech Forest Nurseries for Officials of Sri Lanka Forest Department from 18 th to 21 st January 2022. The course is bein organized on the request of the Sri Lanka Forest Department through Ministry of External Affairs and MoEF&CC. Shri RP Singh Head Silviculture division FRI welcomed the dignitaries and gave an outline of the course which will be covering the different topics like High-tech nursery: Site selection, Establishment, Design and Layout, Modern Infrastructure and facilities, Nursery operations and production of quality planting stock of forestry species in high tech nursery, forest seed
technology, Vegetative propagation and tissue culture techniques for production of quality planting material, Soil and nutrient management techniques, Water management techniques in nurseries, diseases and insect pest management, Modern techniques of Production of Quality
Planting Material (QPM) of Major Plantation species of Sri Lanka, Restoration and Conservation of native Mangrove species, Production of quality planting material of Medicinal Plants.
The Chief Guest of the inaugural function of the training programme was Shri Arun Singh Rawat, DG, ICFRE who called for close co-operation and knowledge sharing between India andits neighbouring countries through the capacity development programmes in the field of forestry and environment. He further highlighted the role of establishment of High-tech forest nurseriesfor mass production of quality planting material for afforestation/reforestation programmes. Mr. Vinod K. Jacob, Deputy High Commissioner of India at High Commission in Colombo flagged PM Narendra Modi’s Davos message, in particular the call for 25 year period of growth that is clean, green, sustainable and reliable. He emphasized on the policies of the Indian
Government which aim at bilateral exchange of knowledge, cooperation in not only strategic, economic but also in field of GIS and Remote sensing, Forestry and Environment research. Dr. KMA Bandara, Conservator General of Forest, Sri Lanka Forest Department also spoke on this occasion. He thanked the Indian Government and ICFRE for conducting the course for the Sri Lanka Forest Department and said that he looked forward to more practically-oriented trainings for the department in various other fields. The course of being attended by 53 officials of the rank of Conservators, DFOs, Range officers,
Beat Forest Officer, Forest Extension Officers. Dr. Manisha Thapliyal, Coordinator of the training proposed a vote of thanks to the virtual gathering.
