Experts have expressed concern over the increasing incidence of forest diseases and called for implementing an integrated management programme to effectively tackle the problem.

Asserting that related issues like climate change and global warming should also be taken care of, the experts said. Participating in the two-day symposium on “Forest Insect Pest and Disease Management in Himalaya” at the Himalayan Forest Research Institute here, they underlined the need for involving research institutions. They felt that the Forest Department did not have the requisite expertise to carry out in-depth scientific study of the problem.

The symposium primarily focused on the insect pest and disease incidences in the forests of Himalayan ecosystem. To give more practical basis to the research on the forest insect-pest and disease management it would help draw a road map to combat the problem.

In his inaugural address principal secretary, Forests, Ashok Thakur, said that serious incidences of pest-infestations on various tree species, which contributed significantly toward the drying process of indigenous as well as exotic trees planted in the fragile ecosystem were taking place.

It had become major problem in the forestry sector with high mortality of important tree species like, chir-pine, blue-pine, deodar, willow and shisham noticed in the Himalayan region.

He stressed that the use of chemical fertilisers be minimised and other nature-friendly materials and biological control methods should be adopted.

Additional principal chief conservator of forests Vinay Tandon said the Forest Department did not have much expertise to address the issues relating to insect pests problems of forests and necessary research backup should be provided by universities and other such institutions.

The research institutions, universities and the Forest Department should work in close collaboration.

Delivering the keynote address director of HFRI Mohinder Pal said temperature was an important factor directly affecting distribution and development of pathogen and pests. Due to rise in average temperature, pest and disease outbreaks had been observed in almost all tree species causing serious damage.

The present trends in climate change indicated that these epidemics would only increase in the near future. The distribution ranges of pathogen and pests might be extended to new areas but the frequency of out break was hard to predict, more knowledge about the anticipated affect of climate change on population dynamic on these biotic agents was required.

He requested the eminent scientists, researchers and foresters to pay immediate attention and help develop a species specific integrated pest management programme and make them available to the end users like the forest departments.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080115/himachal.htm#10