Afforestation on Denuded Hill Slopes
AFFORESTATION OF DENUDED HILL SLOPES AND RAVINE LANDS:
General Considerations:
- To reduce siltation of dams
- Rising of water level in river beds due to siltation
- Reducing floods
- Timber and fuelwood production
Site Condition:
- Slopes are either wet slopes and dry slopes
- Wet slopes are found in cold region eg Temperate dry slopes in areas of 15in – 20in rainfall
- On dry slopes, no or thin soil is found except depressions
- Soil is shallow, stony and poor in nutrients
- Completely exposed to sun and no retention of water
- Diseases are more and mortality is high
Choice of Species:
- Indigenous spp are selected
- Species should be hardy, having coppicing power and should cover the ground eg Ailanthus spp
Soil Preparation:
- Since soil is in undulations, spacing cannot be recommended
- Sowing should be in patches
- For ridge and trench sowing shallow pits are to be dug
- Planting and sowing is cracks and near boulders is favorable
Tending Operations:
- Weeding is done to reduce transpiration
- Weeding is not done in interspaces
- Mulching is also done to reduce evaporation
- Protection against grazing and browsing is very important
- Grass cutting can be allowed.
Image: 103.240.220.71
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Naeem Javid Muhammad Hassani is working as Conservator of Forests in Balochistan Forest & Wildlife Department (BFWD). He is the CEO of Tech Urdu (techurdu.net) Forestrypedia (forestrypedia.com), All Pak Notifications (allpaknotifications.com), Essayspedia, etc & their YouTube Channels). He is an Environmentalist, Blogger, YouTuber, Developer & Vlogger.