Planting, Regeneration, Aftercare and Maintenance - Afforestation, Reforestation and Forest Restoration in Arid and Semi-arid Tropics - page 109

other climatic regions, that is, exotics. Yet, at times, prolonged and severe heat may
damage any plantation. The best protection against heat is to irrigate the plants well,
in the early hours of morning. An odd extra watering may have to be provided, in
case of unusual heat wave, though in most cases a slight change in the timing of a
routine watering so as to coincide it with the period of worst heat may be equally
effective. Use of fertilisers and manure should be avoided during a hot season.
Prolonged, unforeseen, or unusually severe drought can affect a plantation ad-
versely. To protect plants against such adversity it will be necessary to water the
plants an extra number of times and to hoe them properly after every watering. If soil
and water conservation (S&WC) works have been properly designed and executed,
it is unlikely that such a situation will arise. Yet, at times, the rains completely fail,
and a whole year can pass without any rains at all. It is under these unusually bad
droughts that extra irrigation is required.
Wild animals can be a risk at times, so much so that even the fence and routine
watch will not help. Blue bull ( Boselaphus tragocamelus ), gazelle ( Gazella gazella ),
wild boar ( Sus scrofa ), and other wild animals can destroy a plantation if their
population is significantly large in the area. The fence will not help, because these
animals can jump the fence or because they live within the plantation. Such animals
will have to be managed using some ingenious and context-specific methods. Use of
human dummies, fire crackers, patrolling at unusual and ever changing times, and
other such methods can be devised to deal with them. No clear-cut method can be
suggested; rather, every situation will have to be dealt with distinctly.

6.7 Replacement of Casualties

In the year next to the planting year, many plants may be found dead. Not all plants
can survive the harsh climatic conditions in arid areas. If left unattended, this will
create large gaps in the plantation, and the overall survival—after the maintenance
period of project is over—may not be satisfactory. It is desirable therefore to replant
in lieu of the casualties in the next planting season. Pit digging will be easier since it
is unlikely that soil dug the previous year would have compacted hard so soon. Pits
should be dug in anticipation of rainfall. As soon as rains arrive, planting should be
carried out.
Care should be taken to ensure that plants of superior size are used in the casualty
replacement operation, because these plants will have to compete with others that
are already 1 year old in the field. If certain species has been seen to perform
better at the site, all replacement planting could be of this species. If one or two
predominant causes of casualty are seen to be at work, such causes should be duly
addressed at this stage. All the operations of maintenance like weeding, hoeing,
watering, and protection from pests, frost, and drought, should be carried out in
these plants with extra care.