The Forest Department has submitted the draft of the state forest policy for the current year to the government. The document was submitted by chief conservator (forests) Jagdish Kishwan, who also headed the high-level committee constituted for the formulation of the draft policy. An official handout said the policy focused on poverty alleviation, livelihood needs of the communities, ecological balance and climate change mitigation potential of the forests.

It also emphasised on people’s participation in conservation of forests. Focus had been laid on non-timber forest produce, including resign and medicinal plants, besides eco and natural tourism, it said.

The policy further underlines the significance of plantation on private and community lands, checking denudation and soil erosion through integrated efforts. It also lays emphasis on the checking of forest land encroachments, updating of forest demarcation and maintenance of demarcation record in digital format on GIS using remote sensing technology. The policy also prescribes silvicultural system to manage the state forest.

Further, it endorses the conservation of germ plasm of medicinal plants and package of practices for their cultivation and development by farmers, including cultivation and processing by village cooperatives, for non-destructive harvesting and marketing of the medicinal plants of commercial values.

The policy also suggests for bridging demand and supplying gap of timber by increasing the productivity of forests and facilitating import of timber. For meeting fodder and firewood supplies, it prescribes for increase in the productivity of pasture lands and plantation on community lands. It also suggests for eco-tourism for preserving the natural attributes of the forests and employment to the locals. It also touches aspects like forest research, participatory forest management and man-animal conflict.

The policy would be displayed on the website of the Forest Department in near future, seeking comments and suggestions from civil society and environment activists, it added.