Ensuring Sustainability - Afforestation, Reforestation and Forest Restoration in Arid and Semi-arid Tropics - page 242

trees are not removed, they may be destroyed by insects or the wood may decay,
thus, leading to a net loss of resource. Harvesting of trees is also the time when
the area should be replanted. If selection harvesting is practised, it will be difficult
to replant the area immediately as progressive harvesting needs to be accompanied
with progressive replanting, which might not be feasible due to grazing activity in
the area. However, if grazing and other utilisation practices are to be halted for a
period of 5 years, then replanting and harvesting can proceed hand in hand.
Other minor produce to be obtained from a plantation will depend upon the species,
the type of plantation, the terrain, and the climate. In arid and semiarid regions, the
variety of biomass is limited, and except a few gum-yielding species, it is unlikely
that very many kinds of produce can be obtained. A few products that could be
mentioned are: fibre for rope-making, thorn for fencing (a by-product of lopping),
seeds of grasses for reseeding, and seeds of trees and shrubs for essential oils.
Plantations established with the exclusive objectives of conservation of biodiver-
sity, protection of watersheds and ecologically fragile areas, reclamation of degraded
lands, and bio-aesthetic landscaping should not be included in utilisation plans.
Though non-timber, minor forest produce may be extracted from these, no operations
of lopping, thinning or coppice harvesting should be carried out. These plantations
cannot be clear-felled because that will defeat the very purpose of their creation.

10.2.3 Design of Utilisation Plan

Cut-and-carry is the best practice of utilisation of grasses if it is economically viable
for the users. It is best to cut the grass when it is green and if the rainy season is
sufficiently long, it is possible to have two cuts in a season. The first cut is timed
about 2 months from the date of the first showers, and the second cut about one-and-
a-half month thereafter. Both palatability and digestibility of grass are best when it is
green. However, once every 3 years, the second cut should be avoided to allow seed
dispersal. Most perennial forage grasses form robust clumps lasting at least 5 years,
and if managed on cut-and-carry basis, even up to 10 years. If the density of clumps
and their sprouting rate is satisfactory, reseeding is not needed. When productivity
of the clumps goes down or the stalk of the grass is too thick, the stubble after a
cut can be ploughed into the soil, and the area may be reseeded. Thus a decade-long
cycle may form the basis of sustainable management of grasses.
If grazing is to be the principal mode of utilisation of grass, rotational or deferred
grazing should be adopted. The carrying capacity of an area should be ascertained
in terms of cattle days and grazing intensity should not be allowed to exceed the
carrying capacity. The time for grazing will depend upon the requirement of the
local people, but it is best to graze livestock when the nutritive value and palatability
of the grass is high. In many models of rotational grazing, two cuts can be had and
thereafter, grazing is allowed. In case of grazing, however, over-seeding should be
carried out once in 3-5 years. This is required because trampling of the clumps by
the cattle will result in shorter life-span compared to what it would be in the case of
grass managed exclusively by the cut-and-carry method.