Pestalotia sp., a fungal pathogen causing leaf blight disease of pony al ( Calophylum enophylum Linn.), was isolated. The finding was confirmed by the artificial inoculation of healthy leaves ofpanyai plants with the isolated pathogen. Besides, the average quantitative incidence and infection index of the disease on naturally infected plants during 1976-1978 were estimated.

Of the 10 M  m² of raw hides produced annually in Bangladesh only a fifth is tanned by 175 odd tanneries, using imported tanning materials. Vegetable tannins can be extracted from roughly 10,000 tors of mangrove barks available annually at the felling coupes in the Sundarbans. Amelioration of the properties of these tannins is, however, a precondition to their use as tanning materials.

Tannins were extracted by various methods from goran (Ceriops decandra), kankra (Brugiera gymnorrhiza) and passur (Xylocarpus molluccensis) barks collected from the Sundarbans. The percentages of tannins obtained were 24, 21 and 17 respectively. A method was developed for overall purification and improvement of colour and quality of tannin. Chemical analysis indicates that the tannin is of catechol group and quantitative analysis of the extractives shows that the production of mangrove tannins would be an economically viable proposition. Tanning experiments with goat skin show that light coloured and fine-grained uppers and soles can be made with the purified tannins.

The main economic aspects of the family Ve benaceae in relation to the major categories of uses such as timber, medicine, food, fodder, ornamental, insecticide, dye and live fences in Bangladesh have been reviewed. Other passible uses have also been noted. The medicinal uses are grouped disease wise. A checklist of Bangladesh
species with the indication of their economic uses has been appended.

Present seed use (11 kg for a nursery bed of 1.2 m x 12 m) for kcora (Sonneratia apetala Buch.-Ham.) was found to be at least 55 times higher than the actual requirement for producing usable seedlings in the Chittagong coastal area. No significant difference was observed in respect of availablility of seedlings when pregerminated
and ungerminated seeds were sown. Seeds sown by broadcasting showed significantly better performance than dibbling.

Top shoot borer damage causing high mortality to cane in the cane arboretum of Bangladesh Forest Research Institute is reported. The causal pest was identified as Ommatolapus hacmorrhoidalis (Wiedemann ) (Curculionidae : Coleoptera). The nature and extent of damage by the pest and susceptibility of different species of cane, viz., jai or jali bet (Calamus guruba), karak or kirink or- baro bet ( C. viminalis var. fasciculatus), bhudum bet (C. latifolius) and golak or golla bet (Daemonorops jenkinsianus) to the pest were studied. Jali
bat was found to be highly susceptible to the attack of the pest showing 62.7±4.62% shoot infestation whereas the other species were resistant to the attack of this pest.

Ground-layering and air-layering trials were carried out on bariala (Bambusa vulgaris) and muli bansh (Melocanna baccifera)during April and May, 1982. All the treated branches of B. vulgaris produced successful propagules in the air-layering experiment. The ground-layer in a of twelve culms (2 years old) of the same species also produced 23 rooted and rhizomed propagules. Initiation rooting and rhizome appeared only in the branches of mid-culm zone in both of the layering experiments, M. baccifera did not respond to any of the layering methods.

Growth and development of each of the propagules of B. vulgaris planted in the field are being recorded to determine the time required for attaining the marchantable culm size.

In a preliminary study od pollen fertility percentages and open pollination in emasculated flowers, leading to fruit formation in Santalum album ( sandal) were investigated. Open-pollination percentage measured through fruit formation was low. Inter-plant differences both in pollen-fertility and in fruit formation were highly significant. It was observed that though the pollen-fertility percentage is high, fruit formation is low.

Only a fair price of jute for the
growers can ensure its sustained supply for
the industries or for export. Multifarious
uses and vigorous export promotion drives,
in their turn, can keep the demand of
jute to the desired level. Thus, a project
was undertaken for making paper-pulp
from jute using a process to give a higher
yield compared to the conventional kraft
process, yet retaining the kraft like properties.
The success of such a project is
likely to open the possibility of a perpetual
high demand of jute in the industrial sector.

Conventional soda pulping results in lower pulp yield and strength properties. It also needs a much longer cooking time. To overcome these difficulties a study on the effect of anthraquinone ( AQ ) in the alkaline pulping of Acacia auriculiformis was conducted. The result showed that 3.1 percent point yield gain was achieved in the soda pulping with 0.05% AQ addition. The yield was comparable to that of the kraft control. Further increase of AQ did not substantially increase the yield. In kraft-AQ pulping the gain in yield was less remarkable, although 1.4 percent point gain was obtained. Addition of AQ can substantially reduce the alkali requirement and/ or duration of cooking. The quality of the AQ catalysed pulp was in no way inferior to the kraft control.

The feasibility of using AQ in a soda pulp mill in Bangladesh has been shown. It indicates a remarkable economical gain.

A community Forestry Project was initiated in 1980 in the Protected Forest land at Pomra in the district of Chittagong. So far, 126 landless families have been rehabilitated in 24 groups in the project area by allotting 1.62 ha of denuded hills to each family. Most of the families took loans from the Bangladesh Krishi Bank for procuring inputs with the help of the Forest Department to amounts ranging from Tk 1,000 to Tk 4,000. The paper discusses the state of development of horticultural and forest plantations in these plots, and the improvement of the standard of living and socio-economic status of these families. The cropping pattern, inputoutput ratio, Land Expectation Value and employment intensity have been reported on the basis of a survey conducted on 24 families out of 126.

The operational mechanism of the project is also discussed. The major problems of the model have been outlined. The model, if properly developed may substantially contribute towards salving national problems like unemployment, poverty, food and forest products deficits by depicting a way of optimum utilization of the hitherto unproductive Unclossed State Forests, Protected Forests and hilly khas lands of the country.