Diptero Plantations: Establishment of a Hora Plantation

Abstract of the presentation of

Upekha Mandakini

Dipterocarpus zeylanicus, is an endemic tree in Sri Lanka commonly known as Hora. It belongs to the family Dipterocarpaceae, and the genus Dipterocarpus. It is a dominant emergent tree in lowland evergreen rainforests in Sri Lanka. Hora tree grows up to 40-45 m tall and 4- 6 m in circumference. It often grows vigorously in river banks and well-drained alluvium.

The required temperature is between 28–30° C with 1,500-2,500 mm annual rainfall and prefers deep moist soil with pH of 6-7. Thus the wet zone of the country is the more suited.

Hora timber is a very strong and placed under class 1 of State Timber Corporation (Sri Lanka) timber classification. However its durability is much lower, so most of the time Hora timber is used for construction activities as its long length is a prominent character for using construction activates specially as scaffolding. More over it can be used for railway sleepers, rafters, electric posts, beams, joists, heavy types of carpentry work, and suitable for under water work.

“Diptreo Plantations” is a privately owned company established with the objectives of providing traditional timber while protecting natural forests. Income generation and social well being are other objectives of the existence of the company.

The plantation extend is 35 ha and located in Rathnapura district and maintained with intercrops of pepper, areca nut and orchids. This is the only outdoor orchid flowers cultivation in Sri Lanka.

Silvicultural activities will be implemented to obtain high quality timber with the rotation age of 30 years. Areca nut, pepper and cut flowers will generate early income other than the timber of Hora. The orchid cultivation itself also will generate income by the tourist attraction.

A Hora tree

Why indigenous species were not popular in Sri Lanka?

Why indigenous species were not popular in Sri Lanka in plantation establishment?

Abstract of a seminar presentation

Piyumi Nanayakkara

Forestry has two main functions to fulfill which are recognised as protection and production. Due to significant reduction in the natural forest cover in Sri Lanka during the recent past through the agricultural development, shifting cultivation and settlements; the functions that can carry out by natural forests were reduced. That means natural forests were unable to provide these two functions at required level. Therefore forest plantation establishment was started in Sri Lanka.

Utilisable timber plantations in Sri Lanka mainly consist of man-made forest plantations belonging to Forest Department (96,250 ha), companies under the Ministry of Plantation Industries (16,463 ha), private companies and rubber and coconut plantations. According to the data recorded in the past, it is clear that most of the tree species used for the plantation establishment were exotics such as Teak, Eucalyptus, Acacia, Pine and Mahogany.

Data on indigenous and exotic species were collected through the literature survey to select the most suitable species for plantation establishment, based on three selection criteria named as growth and management characteristics, end product characteristics and Usefulness of the species.

Results concluded that exotics are the most suitable and popular plantation species that recommended for Dry, Intermediate and Wet climatic zones in Sri Lanka. Monocultures of exotics cause certain shortcomings, however, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Therefore there is no secret of selecting or popular of exotics in plantation establishment compared to indigenous species in Sri Lanka.

There are some indigenous species suitable as plantation species such as Kohomba, Ebony (Diospyros ebenum), Jak (Artocarpus heterphyllus), Mara (Albizia sp), Halmilla (Berrya cordifolia), Hora (Diptercarpus zeylanicus), Kumbuk (Treminalia arjuna) and Lunumidella (Melia dubia), however, they were not popular for plantation establishment as exotics due to several poor characteristics such as relative low growth rate and having longer rotation length, very low volume compared to exotics, poor wood working qualities, unavailability of straight bole, lack of published information on Indigenous species and felling restrictions etc.