BANGLADESH JOURNAL OF FOREST SCIENCE
A Half-yearly Peer Reviewed Journal of Bangladesh Forest Research Institute
A Half-yearly Peer Reviewed Journal of Bangladesh Forest Research Institute
During 1976 keora (Sonneratia ape-tala
Buch.—Ham.) seedlings were planted at
1.2 m x 1.2 m spacing along the coastal
belts of Bangladesh by the Forest Department.
Though large scale mangrove plantations
were initiated during the past ten
years, thinning could not be undertaken
owing to a lack of a thinning schedule.
Currently, thinning is being carried out
experimentally in different plantations. Data
relating to growth and natural mortality
are being collected and will form the basis
of a thinning prescription.
A study was made at the Forest Research Institute, Chittagong to determine the chemical requirements for bleaching kraft pulps obtained from Albizzia moluccana wood and the effect of bleaching on the strength properties of the pulps. The study also included attempts to prepare different varieties of papers.
Air drying characteristics of garjan Dipterocarpus spp. railway sleepers were investigated employing 1 x 5, 2 x 5, 1 x 7 and 2×7 piling methods. Although there was no significant difference among the drying periods in different methods, the 2×7 method appeared to be the most efficient one. This method exhibited a relatively shorter drying time irrespective of higher density and higher initial moisture content of sleepers as compared to those in other methods. The faster drying in the 2×7 method was attributed to better air circulation. Sleepers stacked in the month of April, dried down to 28% mosisture content in about eight months on
the average. It is recommended that garjan sleepers be air dried following the 2×7 method during the active drying season beginning November, instead of April, as was done in the present study, with a view to achieving further reduction in total drying time.
The moisture distribution inside the sleepers was highly variable ; the moisture gradient was steeper with increasing depth of the zone, but the steepness of the gradient decreased with increasing drying time.
Jam (Syzygium grandis), because of its availability and strength properties, was considered for substituting garjan ( Dipterocarpus spp. ) for making railway sleepers. Since treatment with creosote is normally the part of the manufacturing process for railway sleepers from nondurable wood, jam heartwood was treated with Lowry empty cell process using 40 ; 60 creosote-petroleum oil preservative in order to develop a treating schedule for jam sleeper. Treatments were performed with the various combinations of treating schedules with or without the pretreatment ot steaming-vacuum or incision. None of the treatments, however, could achieve penetration and retention recommended for the purpose of railway sleepers
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Attempts were made to raise Cashew (Anacarditim occidentals Linn.) in 1.62 ha (4 acres) of sungrass infested area in Sal (Shorea robusta Gcartn.) forests of Bangladesh. The object was to find out if the species could
profitably be cultivated in such areas. With successful establishment of Cashew, the sungrass was gradually eliminated from the area. About 86 percent trees were found to have survived. The plants attained an average height of 6.28 m (20.6 ft) and an average dbh of 18.5 cm (7.3 in) with a large canopy of average diameter of 6.06 m (19.9 ft) at the age of nine years. The average yield of green nuts at this stage was 4.8 kg (10.6 lbs) per tree and 861 kg (1,896.8 lbs) per acre.
Hardboards were made from Baruna by steaming and cold soda processes. Modulus of rupture, water absorption and thickness swelling of the boards were determined by standard procedures. It is found that the boards made by both the processes are only moderately strong and poorly water-resistant, Cold soda pulps were found to be very slow draining.
Vegetative and floral morphologies of the monotypic genus Melocalamus compactifloras (Kurz) Benth. have been described. Detailed morphology of the fruit and seed has also been investigated. Its relationship with Melocatma Trin. and Dinochloa Buse has been established as proposed by Dransfield ( 1981 ).
Sporadic mortality of Sundri (Heritiera fames Roxb.) due to unknown causes was mentioned in the working plan of Sunderbans in 1931 by S. I. Curtis. But the mortality was not pronounced due to removal of Sundri along with firewood by permit holders. After 1971 working was closed for a few years and as such accumulation of dying Sundri in large number attracted the attention of the foresters (Sattar 1977). The total timber loss due to
mortality of Sundri was found to be 1.44 million cubic metres and the total financial loss on the basis of valuation of 1976 was Tk. 2000 million (Shafi 1982).
The status and approach for expansion of rubber cultivation in Thailand is outlined. Major diseases of rubber in Thailand, their incidence and effect in general and the role of Phytophthora botryosa Chee in particular, have been described. Abnormal leaf fall ofrubber due to P. botryosa was prevalent only in some high rainfall areas in the west coast of the country. This disease was, however, found to be absent both in the plantations of seed source and in the nursery wherefrom budded stumps were imported to Bangladesh in 1984.
Details of the phytosanitary treatments and packaging of the budded stumps for shipment to Bangladesh are outlined. Survivality of the budded stumps both in the nurseries and in plantations around Khagrachhari has been found to be quite low. This is most probably due to the failure of the budded stumps to produce adequate new roots because of very late planting. Phytosanitary treatments had little or no phytotoxicity effects on the budded stumps. It is suggested that in any future programme, budded rubber stumps have to be planted in the early planting season.
Welcome to the Bangladesh Journal of Forest Science (BJFS) – a leading platform for advancing the knowledge and understanding of forest science in Bangladesh and beyond. Established with a commitment to excellence, BJFS serves as a cornerstone for researchers, practitioners, and enthusiasts dedicated to the sustainable management and conservation of forest ecosystems.
