Establishment of an African mahogany Plantaiton by Green World Plantation Company

Abstract of the presentation of

Sonali Batuwatte

Khaya (Khaya senagalensis) is one of the most popular species in Sri Lanka. Management objective of the Green World Plantation Company is to optimise the land utilisation by growing commercially viable and environmentally sustainable trees. The company will increase its profits by providing better quality timber in required amounts. Vision is to “Become the Market Leaders in Khaya Wood Production in Sri Lanka” and Mission is “Production of high-value and high-quality timber on sustainable basis to relieve the pressure on our natural forests, practice commercial forestry by bringing in investors to invest in our plantations.”

Khaya senagalensis belongs to the Meliaceae family and it is native to Africa. It reputedly has the best surface finishing of all the African mahogany species. Khaya timber is highly valued because of its beautiful figurative grain and its rich reddish mahogany brown colour. It is a medium-sized tree which can grow up to 15–30 m in height and 1 m in diameter. It has a fast growth rates in dry and intermediate zones, tolerance to poor site quality and resistance to heavy weed competition, harsh conditions and diseases and pests (except borer). It is favored for furniture, high-class joinery, trim and boat building, railroad ties, flooring, turnery and decorative veneer.

For management prescriptions land selection, planting, protection, labour and staff and extraction can be mentioned. Under planting, seeds, land preparation, spacing, fertilising, weeding, watering, thinning, pruning, pests and diseases. A land of 50 ha in the Intermediate Zone in Kurunegala is selected by using & checking soil parameters. Land Demarcation is carried out by surveying and establishing boundaries. Land is divided in to 10 perch blocks in order to attract small scale investors. 800-1100 trees/ha will be planted with a spacing of 3m × 3m. Live fire belt will be established using Hana. Proper maintenance practices will be established including fertilizing up to 4 yrs and after the PCT with a mixture of N:P:K 9:13:9. Three commercial thinning are carried out at the ages of 11, 15 and 20 years. Creeper cutting is carried out from the 1st year while pruning carried out from 4^th year before and after the rainy season. Watering is done using drip irrigation up to 6 years, 4 l/day in the dry season. Harvesting will be done using clear felling at the age of 25 yrs. In its natural range, K. senagalensis can be severely attacked by shoot borers (Hypsiphylla robusta). Such attacks may result in misshapen trees with no timber value. Carbofuran can be used to minimize these attacks.

Establishment and maintenance plan for a Chloroxylon swietenia plantation company

Abstract of the presentation of 

Sanomi Perera

Ceylon Satinwood which consist several local names such as Buruta, Mutirai, Satinwood is categorized under Meliaceae family according to Bentham and hooker classification system. Chloroxylon swietenia is categorized under luxury class under timber class of STC.

It is a very large, slow growing deciduous tree with a rather shorter bole and a spreading light feathery crown. The moderate height is about 15-21m with a cylindrical stem which grows up to a dbh of 97cm. The wood is hard and heavy and very durable and it has been used for sleepers and has wide variety of uses such as doors, windows, flooring, furniture, carpenters tools etc.

Management objective of Lanka Satinwood (PVT) Ltd. is to maximise the land utilisation in a sustainable way while providing best quality satin timber. The vision is to give a helping hand to save our forests and the mission is to meet the demand for satin wood in Sri Lanka.

Land selection will be done based on the rain fall, temperature, soil factors and labor requirements so a land in dry zone of 50 ha in Puttalam district in the north central province will be selected. After demarcation of boundaries and clearing planting of materials will be done. The land will be utilized batch wise.

Stumped plants will be planted due to the high survival rate so stumps will be prepared from plants about 2 years old in the nursery. Spacing will be 3m ´ 3m and a live fire belt will be established. Fertilizing will be done every year until 15^th year, weeding will be done for all 45 years and watering will be done by a drip irrigation system. Pruning will be carried out by age 8 years and thinning will be done at three stages and they will be 15^th, 25^th and 35^th ages.

Several kinds of damages can be expected towards the plantation and some of them will be damages from wild boars, Teak defoliator, Longicorn beetle. So necessary actions will be taken against pest and disease problems if any was sensed. 30 labors will be taken, 5 security guards and one technical officer will be included.

Extraction will be done at 45 years by providing more favorable conditions though the rotation age of Satin is 70 years. Harvesting method will be clear cut system. Aim is to achieve logs at harvest approximately 8m in length and 25 – 29cm of dbh with minimal taper and knots.

Inter cropping and other agro forestry practices will be followed. The carbon sequestration potential of this plantation will be an added benefit and we will be obtaining forest certification which will be a value addition to our product.

Establishment of Plantation Company of Toona ciliata T Wood Plantation (Pvt). Ltd

Abstract of the presentation of

E.T.D. Jayasinghe

T Wood Plantation (Pvt). Ltd is a Commercial Forest Plantation Company in Sri Lanka established in 2010. The Company is Willing to contribute to overcome high timber demand of the Country by supplying timber of Toona ciliata In addition to our core business to enhance productivity and maximizing profitability we willing to diversify existing lands with cash crops, Cocoa and Anthurium. The aims of the company are sustainable management, the fixation of CO₂ on the existing plantations, and the trade forestry products  of  Forest  Plantation to obtain maximum profit.

Toona ciliata is Medium height tree which is grown about 20 m height. Rotation age of Log size timber is 30-40 years. For commercial purposes it will be 30 years. Growth of the tree would be about 40 to 55 m³  on a 15 to 20 years rotation. Growth Rate is 7-18 m³/ha/year. This species is Successfully grown in Wet & intermediate zone between 600m to 1500m from MSL. Plant required shade for initial growth. Plants can be susceptible to Tip Moth (Hypsipyla robusta)  attack  in initial stages.

When consider about Timber, it has popular demand as a veneer and producing decorative purposes. It is graded under Class II timber grading in State Timber Corporation timber grading system. The wood is pinkish- brown in colour. Timber also has characteristic fragrant, nice grain patterns and it is easy to work with.

Our Toona plantation is located in Haputale, within the climatic zone of up country wet zone. Total Extent of the plantation is 50 ha. When consider about management prescriptions of the plantation, plant seeds do not need pretreatment. Seeds should be sowing in nursery and allowed to grow upto 0.6-1.2 m height prior to planting in field. Grevillea robusta is planting 2 years prior to planting Toona as a shade tree and will be removed after 8 years of planting. Then Cocoa and Anthurium is going to intercrop with Toona for maximum land utilization. The end product will be timber logs which will be sold out to local buyers and saw mills.

Establishment of forest Plantation Company, Tallow Wood Lanka Pvt (Ltd)

Abstract of the presentation of

Nulishika Alwis

The forest land area of Sri Lanka has been shrinking over the last several decades, primarily due to the clearing of forest land for agriculture development and shifting cultivation. Sawn wood demand is projected to grow from 0.544 million m³/year in 1993 to 0.885 million m³ in 2020, that is by about 12,600 m³/year. This corresponds to an average annual growth rate of 2%. Recent statistics show that more than 70% of the local commercially acceptable timbers are now potentially available from sources other than natural forest such as forest plantation, home garden and other cultivated lands. Major plant species available in forest department plantation are Teak, pine, Eucalyptus and Mahogany. Reforestation with Eucalyptus in Sri Lanka has a long history. Eucalyptus micricorys is one of the popular Eucalyptus species among the plant growers.

Eucalyptus micricorys is commonly known as Tallow wood. It is tall evergreen tree growing to 40 meters, occasionally to 70 m, with rough, fibrous, soft and spongy orange bark and a dense crown. Tallow wood Lanka Pvt (Ltd) was established based on this species. Tallow wood is commonly grown in up country wet zones. Our new plantation was established in Badulla and Nuwareliya areas. Total extend of plantation was 70 ha.People who like to invest on this species can be selected the woodlots and we are responsible for plantation management and timber selling activities.

There are numerous criticisms arising under the Eucalyptus plantations. However there are many reasons to establish this type of plantation; (1) Fast growth and good stem form, providing high biomass production (2) Special class high density timber for heavy construction (3) Average timber volume is high(192.5 m³/ha) (4) To overcome the scarcity of long length construction timber (5) Resistance to serious disease or insect attacks. Considering the above things we prescribed suitable management practices.

A young Eucalyptus microcorys plantation at Bambarakele, Sri Lanka

Forest management group – a long weighted requirement in Sri Lanka Forestry Sector has been fulfilled

Although the records are available about Sri Lanka forest management since 161 BC (that was the year which the Great King Dutugemunu came into the thrown) and even before the current forestry sector has been suffered in lack of research. Due to this reason, Dr. Upul Subasinghe, a Senior Lecturer of the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, thought of forming a “Forest Management Group” in Sri Lanka to cover the need of “multi-disciplinary research in Sri Lanka forestry sector”. Since it has become a trend in the science world to conduct group research to provide more benefits by covering a larger area, than individual research which covered a small scope, it is obvious that group research provide more benefits. In order to cover a vast area in a single research in collaboration with a number of experts in different fields, Dr. Upul Subasinghe thought of having multi-disciplinary research since 2005 at MSc level and brought the concept into the BSc level since 2009. The group members are listed below.

Dr. Upul Subasinghe (Senior Lecturer, Forest and Forest Plantation Management, Natural Resource Modelling, GIS and Remote Sensing), Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka

Mr. Dhanushka Hettiarachchi (Research Associate, Pharmacology), School of Pharmacy, Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia

Dr. K.M.A. Bandara (Research Officer, Silviculture), Forest Research Institute, Badulla, Sri Lanka

Ms. Chandani Edussuriya (Assistant Director, GIS Unit), Central Environmental Authority

It is expected to conduct such collaborative research with the renowned scientists in Australia, India, Indonesia and US in the future to share the knowledge, experience and expertise to enhance mutual benefits. However, The National Research Council already funds a collaborative research conducted by Dr. Upul Subasinghe as the Principal Investigator with the collaboration of Mr. Dhanushka Hettiarachchi and Prof. John Fox of the Curtin University of Technology of Western Australia.

Construction of a complete yield table for Eucalyptus torelliana using empirical relationships

Abstract of a research study

conducted by Menaka Thirunadarajah and Upul Subasinghe

Yield table is one of the useful ways of predicting yield and growth of forests which shows expected volume and other important parameters per unit area by the combination of measurable characteristics of the forest stand. Although the yield and growth of trees can be predicted using more advanced modelling tools in forestry, the information contained in traditional yield tables is still considered valuable.

Eucalyptus torelliana is one of the eucalyptus species planted in Sri Lanka especially in the low country wet zone. Due to the unavailability of growth prediction methods for E. torelliana in Sri Lanka, a complete yield table and a two parameter volume table was constructed for this species using height and age relationships.

Five E. torelliana plantations from Matara and Rathnapura districts were used for this study. These plantations are 10 to 14 years old at the time of measurements taken and vary in extent from 1.14 to 20.00 ha. In order to represent the whole area of each plantation, stratified random sampling was used and 5 to 10 circular plots of 0.02 ha were used.

For the trees located in the plots, total height and dbh were initially measured. For the volume determination, each tree stem was divided into sections and sectional volumes were separately calculated using Newton's formula. The stem volume was determined by adding section volumes together.

Due to the unavailability of re-measured data, it was decided to to develop a relationship between height and tree age. In order to build that relationship, it was assumed that the tree produces one node per year. This concept was statistically tested later on in the present study and proven to be correct.

For the construction of the yield table in the present study, three relationships were mathematically constructed, i.e., height with age, dbh with height, volume with height and dbh. For the development of height age relationship, 10 trees were selected from each plantation and number of inter-nodes was counted using a high-quality binocular and the distance between consecutive nodes were accurately measured.

All three relationships were mathematically built using regression analysis and for each relationship over 15 models were tested. The best modes were selected based on R2 values and distribution of standard residuals. The selected best model for height-age relationship was non-linear. The selected linear models to predict dbh and volume had 75.9% and 73.9% R2 values respectively.

By using the finally selected models, a complete yield table and a two-parameter volume table was constructed. As it was found that there were no significant difference among the selected sites for this study, it was decided to construct one yield table for all site types with the planting density of 1,100 trees per ha.

Analysis of mangrove vegetation cover and the present status of aquaculture in Puttlam District of Sri Lanka

Abstract of a research study

conducted by Supun Nigamuni, Upul Subasinghe and Chandani Edussuriya

Mangrove forests are complex ecosystems that occur along intertidal accretive shores in the tropics. Mangroves play a significant role in both ecology and economy. In Sri Lanka many estuaries and lagoons are fringed with vastly diverse mangrove forests. The northwestern coastline represent all three major climatic zones in Sri Lanka. It also has the largest mangrove forest patch which is located in Puttlam – Kalpitiya lagoon. From the recent past the mangrove forest cover in Puttalam District is experiencing severe pressures from the adjoining settlements, the fishery industry, aquaculture and other activities in the catchment. An abrupt decline in the forest cover is evident due to being converted into industrial shrimp farms.

An attempt was made in the present study to analyze the spatial pattern of mangrove destruction related to shrimp farm development and to analyze the distribution of mangrove species. For this purpose, shrimp farms of 2008 were mapped using IRS – LISS III image (2008) to identify the operational and abandoned shrimp farms. The results were verified by using Google Earth. In order to study the mangrove species distribution, a total of 40 sampling sites were selected to cover the whole study area. Data collection was done at each sampling point by a 10 m traverse established from the water level to the edge of the mangrove vegetation at the landside. Species and the number of individuals in each traverse were recorded during this survey.

According to the findings of the study in 2008 there is a total of 5355 ha of land is used for shrimp farms but only 3872 ha is in operation and others are abandoned. These barren lands could be cultivated with mangroves if suitable restoration programme is implemented while natural regeneration is also evident in some areas.

It was evident that Chilaw lagoon area is the richest when it comes to mangrove diversity. Rhizophore mucronata, Avicennia marina and Lumnitzera racemosa were the most dominant species in the study area. The most significant finding was the recording of Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea Gaertn. f. from Udappwa (854883.4 N 366900.8 E) which has now become very rare species in Sri Lanka. Only a few trees were previously recorded to be restricted to one locality on the Kalpitiya Peninsula in Puttalam lagoon.