Glossary - Afforestation, Reforestation and Forest Restoration in Arid and Semi-arid Tropics - page 252

Clean seeds Seeds extracted out of pods, or after removal of pulp surrounding
them. Clean seeds are convenient to store, handle, process, and to treat for sowing.
However, some seeds, especially those with short viability, are better preserved and
handled in pod form rather than in clean seed form.

Clear felling Removal of all the trees in a stand of trees or a plantation. Also called

clear-cutting.

Closure Enclosure of a tract of land with a fence to ward off animals and humans.
It is a means of containing biotic pressure in order to promote the natural process of
vegetation regeneration. If an area with adequate rootstock is closed for sufficiently
long time, natural forest cover will be established. One of the principal effects of
closure is reduction in runoff due to emergence of ground vegetation—runoff is
reduced by as much as 50 % within 2 years.

Clump A group of stems clustered together. Clumps commonly form in shrubs and
grasses, especially the bamboo.

⇒ Culm ⇒ Singling

Commercial forestry The practice of growing trees and shrubs for deriving mar-
ketable produce from these. It is often not feasible to practice commercial forestry
on the marginal, degraded, and unproductive wastelands that are available for most
public funded afforestation programmes.
Commercial species Species of trees, shrubs, and grasses that have a ready market,
and are commonly traded. The indigenous species of a place may or may not provide
a marketable commodity. Exotics, like the Eucalyptus spp., are often introduced as
commercial species.

Community People with common interest living in a particular area. Communities
often have usufructuary rights over public lands in their vicinity. Without the consent
and participation of the community, afforestation programmes cannot be successful.

Compost A mixture consisting of decayed organic matter used for fertilising and
conditioning land. Compost can be found as naturally decayed matter, or it can be
produced in composting pits which are filled with alternating layers of earth and
organic waste and sealed on top to accelerate the process of decay. Composting thus
serves the twin purposes of management of waste and production of manure.

Composting pit ⇒ Compost

Conflict resolution Resolving, containing, or coping with conflict, especially at
community level, of divergent interests, ideas, groups of persons, or individuals.
Afforestation organisations need to possess the skills of conflict resolution, since
most of their work will involve organising and enabling communities to act as a
group.

Conservation forestry Forestry practised not for production of goods or commodi-
ties, but with the object of conservation of landscape and its vegetation, improving
soil fertility, and protection of watershed and restoration of ecological balance. In