Garjan (JDipterocarpus spp.), by virtue
of its availability and strength properties,
happens to be the principal species for
railway sleepers in Bangladesh. This
species is used also for construction and
many other purposes. The wide and
extensive use of this species has created
scarcity and its present supply position is
not adequate to meet the requirement of
sleepers. As a result, sleepers are being
imported from foreign countries to overcome
the supply shortage. It is, therefore,
necessary that other suitable indigenous
species be used as railway sleepers.
Although there are more than 500
hardwood species in the forests of
Bangladesh only a few of them are available
in quantities commensurate with the
requirements of the timber industries. In order
to find out a group of alternative timber
species for sleepers a joint study was undertakenby
Forest Research Institute, Bangladesh
Railway and Forest utilization Division

Loranthaceae includes semiparasitic
plants which are commonly known as
mistletoes. All over the world they cause
more economic loss than any other angiospermic
parasites. They mostly attack
dicotyledons and gymnosperms which
include horticultural plants as well as forest
trees. The effects of parasites on the hosts
are manifold, such as, reduction of vigour
and growth rates, poor fruit and seed
production, formation of burrs on the trunk
or branches, reduction in foliage, drying
of top, predisposition to insect and other
disease attacks ultimately causing premature
death. In tropical and sub-tropical
forests, mistletoe infection sometimes causes
heavy damages to many forest trees.

The Crab-eaitng Macaque, Macaca
fascicularis Raffles is found in the coastal,
rural and urban regions as well as in the
virgin forests of many South-East Asian
^countries like Burma, Philippines, Thailand,
Malaya, Vietnam, Sumatra, Java and
Borneo (Fooden 1969a). It was also
introduced into Mauritius (Napier and
Napier 1967).
The population of this species throughout
the entire range is declining and in
some regions is very much threatened.
Rabor (1965) reported that the population
of Crab-eating Macaque had declined
greatly in the Philippines. Southwick and
Cadigan (1972) also reported very small
population in Malaya. In Bangladesh too
the population of this species has declined
to a great extent.

A. falcataria Forberg Syn Albizia
moluccana Miq. A. falcate Buckets, is a large
fast-growing tree, indigenous to the
Moluccas. From there, it was introduced into
Java and then was distributed throughout
the Far East including Malaysia, Fiji,
Srilanka, Philippines and Africa including
Kenya, Nigeria, Rhodesia, Uganda and
Zanzibar. It is a branchy tree and has light
foliage with a fairly straight bole. The
wood is soft and rather light (416 to 464
Kg/m’ air dry) and non durable. It is
considered satisfactory for rotary peeling for

Grasses such as Blue panic, Guinea grass, Green panic, Rhodes
grass, Signal grass, three cultivars of Buffel grass, two cultivars of
Setaria and Legumes like Centro, Greenleaf desmodium, Highworth
dolichos, Rongai dolichos, Archer dolichos, Tinaroo glycine, Siratro,
Cook stylo, Schofield stylo, Endeavour stylo, Townsville stylo, Verano
stylo were grown at six Silvicultural Research centres of Bangladesh
to study their herbage production. Among grasses Signal grass,
Guinea grass, Green panic and the cultivars of Setaria produced
higher amount of herbage in comparison to other grasses. Legumes
like Schofield stylo, Cook stylo, Endeavour stylo, Townsville stylo
and Verano stylo produced higher yields of herbage in comparison
to other legumes. These promising fodder grasses and legumes have
important bearings on multiple land use in agriculture as well as in
forestry.

Silicon and carbon both belonging to
the fourth group in the Periodic Table
show similar chemical reactivity in many
respects. Both are able to form a series of
covalently bonded compounds, the bonds
being directed towards the corners of a
regular tetrahedron. DIMENSIONAL STABILIZATION OF WOOD
BY CHLOROSILANATION Silanes, corresponding to alkanes in
organic chemistry, have an empirical formula, Sin H2n-|-2O Each of the hydrogens
in the silane molecule may be substitute dby an electrophilic group, e. g., halogen or
by methyl groups. The properties of the organochlorosilanes are dependent on the

Programmes for extensive plantation
forestry have been taken by the Government
of Bangladesh to sustain the
adequate supply of forest products and to
maintain a balanced ecological condition
of the country. Large numbers of healthy
seedlings arc required for successful plantation
programme. Among the various
factors which threaten the production of
healthy seedlings, diseases play an important
role. Complaints regarding damage
of seedlings in the nursery by various
diseases are quite frequent. The present
investigation had been undertaken to study
the seedling diseases of eight tree species

Garjan (D. turbinatus) thrives very well in the hill forests under Cox’s Bazar
forest division. It also grows well in thE forests under Chittagong Hill Tracts,
Chittagong and Sylhet forest divisions. Uptill now Garjan has been extracted from
only the natural forests.

Experiments to determine the rok of
wounding alone and fungal infestation in
the formation of the aromatic base, agar,
in the wood of Agar tree (Aquilaria agallocha
Roxb.) were started in two Agar plantations
at Lawachara near Srimangal in
1977. Results of the first assessment of
nine trees after two years indicated that
the formation of agar did not depend on
the activity of a particular fungus, as was
previously believed, but is a general reaction
of the host to injury and invasion by
various microbes. It was, therefore, suggested
that the effect of wounding on the

Forest tree species are generally propagated from seeds, seedlings and stumps.Vegetative propagation from roots and shoot cuttings is another technique by which identical propagules could be perpetuated and proliferated.

Grafting, cutting and air-layeiing are the basic techniques of propagation and
are very useful for tree breeding and improvement work. The importance of
vegetative propagation is gradually increasing for establishment of Seed Orchard and
Clonal Orchard (Jones 1979).