for

Mass Plantation Drives

by,
Ketaki Ghate & Manasi Karandikar

May 2017
Scientific approach for plantations
 India has 17000 species of flowering plants but
we use very few species for plantations
 Monoculture i.e. plantation of single species
needs to be avoided. It creates greenery on
land, but it doesn’t create FOREST !
 So more meaningful way is to do plantations
which would mimic forest along with
ecological restoration of natural resources like
soil, water and biodiversity around it
There are five major steps :
1. Know your region : Forest type in your area
2. Assess the status of your land
3. Plan for restoration and plantations :
3.a Protection to land : Conserve soil and moisture,
Protect existing habitats
3.b Selection of species & numbers : as per status of
soil and resource availability
3.c Seed dispersal
4. Execution : Selection of sapling and Plantation
5. Maintenance
1. Know your region
 What is the kind of vegetation or forest in your
region. e.g. Dry deciduous, Moist deciduous,
Evergreen, Semi arid etc
 Find out secondary data that will give an idea about
the species growing naturally and easily in your
area
 But most of the times the original vegetation is lost
& area is degraded due to various external
pressures
 So it is necessary to follow next step …..
2. Assess your land
 Is the soil ready to support plants ?
 Plants grow well in fertile soil and even in soft to
medium hard murrum but don’t grow well in hard
murrum and rocks. But only fine soil is not enough
 So check if it has enough organic matter &
nutrients and microbes
 If yes, you can go ahead with plantations.
 If not, check following points
3. Plan for Restoration and Plantation
 Generally plantations are done on barren areas or
hill slopes
 Better approach is to conserve soil & moisture and
then start planting
3.a Protection to land : Conserve soil and
moisture, Protect existing habitats
3.b Selection of species & numbers as per status of
soil and resource availability. Phase out plantations
3.a Protection to the land
 Assure total protection from fire, grazing and cutting
 Conserve existing natural structure : Retain existing
native plants or shrubs or other important features and
integrate them in plantations
 Do not remove grasses or clear/ level the land. Many
times, lot of ground work in terms of trenches disturb
the original lay of land
 Conserve soil moisture : Plants need soil moisture to
grow. Enhance moisture holding capacity of soil. Apply
restoration techniques for initial 2 or 3 years and then
do plantations
3.b Selection of species
 Select Diverse Native plants; both common and rare.
Include food plants for birds and butterflies
 Select a diversity in plant habits like trees, shrubs,
climbers, herbs, grasses
 If soil is poor, phase out plantations.
◦ First 3 years : Select more hardy and common species
◦ 4th year onwards: Rare and Special species
 Complete ‘NO’ to non-native plants

Note: Please refer to ‘List Of Native Plants’ for selection of

plants
3.c Seed dispersal
 Seed dispersal : Seeds of appropriate Native plants can
be dispersed either as is or in dung balls. e.g. Amba,
Jambhul, Karwand, Beheda, Shivan, Palas, Ain, Karanj,
Khair, Bahawa, Shirish, Pangara, etc
 Area for dispersal must not be totally barren land
 Seeds should be dispersed in existing clusters of shrubs,
trees, along roads
 Dispersal can be done through last week of May till
onset of monsoon
4. Execution of Plantation
 Plantation time can be planned as per resource
availability
◦ If irrigation is available throughout the year,
plantations can be done any time of the year. But, in
case of high rainfall, high elevation, open, windy areas
(> 4000 mm av. annual), it is suggested to do
plantations at the end of monsoon
◦ If irrigation is not available, start planting at onset of
monsoon
 Take pits of 2 x 2 x 2 ft at distance of 6-10 ft from each
other
 Expose pits to sun for 5 - 10 days
 Sprinkle ash on the bottom & sides of pits
 Fill the pits with - Site soil (in case of poor site soils, use
30 % external good quality soil) + good composted cow
dung (30 %) + compost (2 kg) + Coco peat (500 gm) +
Neem cake (200 gm) + Leaf Litter & Grass or Crop
residue
 Plant at least 2 to 3 years old saplings propagated in big
size bag
5. Maintenance
 Heap of soil all around sapling
(आऱं )
 Regular watering
◦ Drip irrigation system using bottles,
earthen pots or drip lines
 Mulching at base of each plant
 Bamboo stick as support
 Create shade if needed
 Protect from grazing, trampling,
fire
Just to summarize …
 Assure protection from Grazing & Fire !
 Retain existing natural structure of the land
 Maintain existing diversity on land
 Work on soil & moisture for 2-3 years
 Select appropriate native plants
 Assure irrigation for first 2 years
 Ensure protection & mulching of naturally
growing grass
Select your plants …
K = Kokan, S = Sahyadri, D = Desh / Central Maharashtra, V = Vidarbh
वऺ
ृ / Trees नाव शास्त्रीय नाव K S D V

नाव शास्त्रीय नाव K S D V २१ गेऱा Catunaregam spinosa  

१ हशलय Acacia leucophloea    २२ तभारऩत्र Cinnamomum   
zeylanicum
२ पऩवा Actinodaphne angustifolia   
२३ बोकय Cordia dichotoma    
३ फेर Aegle marmelos   
२४ लरुण Crataeva adansonii   
४ भशारुख Ailanthus excelsa   
२५ पाळी Dalbergia lanceolaria  
५ अंकोऱ Alangium salvifolium   
२६ शळवभ Dalbergia latifolia    
६ शळयीऴ Albizia lebbeck    
२७ शळवल Dalbergia sisoo   
७ वातलीण Alstonia scholaris  
२८ टे म्बण
ु ी Diospyros melanoxylon   
८ धालडा Anogeissus latifolia   
२९ भेढशळंगी Dolichandrone falcata   
९ योशीतक Aphanamixis polystachya  
३० आलऱा Emblica officinalis    
१० नीभ Azadirachta indica   
३१ ऩांगाया Erythrina suberosa   
११ आऩटा Bauhinia racemosa    
३२ पऩऩय Ficus amplissima    
१२ वालय Bombax ceiba   
३३ नांद्रक
ू Ficus microcarpa    
१३ वारई Boswellia serrata   
३४ उं फय Ficus racemosa    

१४ आवणा Bridelia retusa    

३५ डडकेभारी Gardenia resinifera   

१५ चायोऱी Buchanania   

३६ काकड Garuga pinnata   
cochinchinensis
१६ ऩऱव Butea monosperma     ३७ शळलण Gmelina arborea    

१७ उं डी Calophyllum inophyllum  ३८ धाभण Grewia tiliifolia    

१८ कंु ब Careya arborea     ३९ शे द ू Haldina cordifolia   

१९ बेयरी भाड Caryota urens    ४० अंजन Hardwickia binata  

२० फशाला Cassia fistula    

 K = Kokan, S = Sahyadri, D = Desh / Central Maharashtra, V = Vidarbh

नाव शास्त्रीय नाव K S D V नाव शास्त्रीय नाव K S D V

४१ लायव Heterophragma     ६१ ऩांढय Murraya paniculata 
roxburghii
६२ कदं फ Neolamarckia   
४२ कुडा Holarrhena pubescence    
cadamba

४३ लालऱ Holoptelea integrifolia    ६३ नयक्मा Nothapodytes   
nimmoniana
४४ खुयी Ixora brachiata  
६४ ऩारयजातक Nyctanthes arbor-  
tristis
४५ याम कुडा Ixora parviflora  
६५ ऩायजांबऱ
ू Olea dioica   
४६ नाणा Lagerstroemia   
microcarpa
६६ टे टू Oroxylum indicum   
४७ ताभण Lagerstroemia speciosa  
६७ काऱा ऩऱव Ougeinia oojeinensis  
४८ भोई Lannea coromandelica    
६८ शळंदी Phoenix sylvestris   
४९ कलठ Limonia acidissima   
६९ कयं ज Pongamia pinnata   
५० चांदला Macaranga peltata  
७० बफजा Pterocarpus   
५१ भोश Madhuca latifolia   
marsupium
५२ ऩेटायी Mallotus repandus  ७१ यक्तचंदन Pterocarpus  
santalinus
५३ आंफा Mangifera indica    
७२ भच
ु कंु द Pterospermum  
५४ खखयणी Manilkara hexandra     acerifolium
७३ ऩत्र
ु ज ं ीला Putranjiva roxburghii  
५५ शरंफाया Melia dubia  
७४ खडशळंगी Radermachera   
५६ अंजनी Memecylon   xylocarpa
umbellatum
७५ लाऱंू ज Salix tetrasperma  
५७ नागचापा Mesua ferrea    
७६ ऩीरू Salvadora persica  
५८ फकुऱ Mimusops elengi  
७७ चंदन Santalum album  
५९ कऱभ Mitragyna parvifolia    
७८ रयठा Sapindus laurifolius   
६० फायतोंडी Morinda pubescens    
७९ वीताअळोक Saraca asoca   
 K = Kokan, S = Sahyadri, D = Desh / Central Maharashtra, V = Vidarbh

नाव शास्त्रीय नाव K S D V बाांबू / Bamboo

८० कुवभ
ु Schleichera oleosa     नाव शास्त्रीय नाव K S D V
१ फांफ-ू करक Bambusa arundinacea   
८१ भोखा Schrebera swietenioides  
२ फांफ-ू भेव Dendrocalamus   
८२ बफब्फा Semecarpus    strictus
anacardium
८३ अंफाडा Spondias pinnata  

८४ कुकेय Sterculia guttata  कोकण ठाणे, यामगड,

K २५००-३५०० शभभी
८५ करू Sterculia urens    यत्नागगयी, शवंधद
ु ग
ु ग
८६ ऩाटर Stereospermum  

धऱ
ु े , नाशळक, ऩण
ु े,
chelonoides
८७ ऩाडऱ Stereospermum colais    
सह्याद्री ३५००-७००० शभभी वाताया, कोल्शाऩयू
८८ जांबऱ     S
ू मा जजल्हमांचा ऩजचचभ
Syzygium cumini

८९ ऩें ढया Tamilnadia uliginosa   बाग

९० वाग Tectona grandis   
धऱ
ु े ,नाशळक, नगय,ऩणु े,
९१ अजन
ुग Terminalia arjuna   
दे श /
वाताया,कोल्शाऩयू ,
९२ फेशडा Terminalia bellirica     D मध्य ३००-८०० शभभी
औयं गाफाद,
९३ हशयडा   महाराष्ट्र
Terminalia chebula
फीड,वोराऩयू ,
९४ ककं जऱ Terminalia paniculata     मलतभाऱ,फर ु ढाणा
९५ ऐन Terminalia tomentosa    
बंडाया, गोंहदमा,
९६ बें ड Thespesia populnea     V पव
ू व ववदर्व १०००-१५०० शभभी
नागऩयू , चंद्रऩयू ,
९७ खयऱ Trema orientalis    
गडगचयोरी
९८ काऱा कुडा Wrightia tinctoria    

९९ ततयपऱ Zanthoxylum rhetsa     Note: Rainfall zones are not based on
standard classification
 K = Kokan, S = Sahyadri, D = Desh / Central Maharashtra, V = Vidarbh

झुडपां / Shrubs वेऱी / Climbers

नाल ळास्त्त्रीम नाल K S D V नाल ळास्त्त्रीम नाल K S D V

१ ऩाचुंदा Capparis grandis  १ गज

ंु Abrus precatorius    

२ वभद्र
ु ळोक Argyreia nervosa    
२ कयलंद Carissa congesta    

३ कायली Carvia callosa  ३ ळतालयी Asparagus    
racemosus
४ तयलड Cassia auriculata  
४ ऩऱवलेर Butea superba  
५ बायं गी Clerodendrum serratum    
५ वागयगोटा Caesalpinia    
६ ऩांढयपऱी Flueggea spp.     bonducella
७ याभेठा Gnidia glauca    ६ पऩऱूकी Combretum    
albidum
८ भरु
ु डळेंग Helicteres isora    
७ कालऱी Cryptolepis dubia    
९ अडुऱवा Justicia adhatoda   
८ अम्फऱ
ु की Elaeagnus 
conferta
१० कढीऩत्ता Murraya koenigii    
९ लालडडंग Embelia tsjeriam- 
११ पाऩट Pavetta crassicaulis  cottam
१२ गचत्रक Plumbago zeylanica     १० गायं फी Entada rheedei 

११ उषी Getonia floribunda  

१३ तनगड
ुग ी Vitex negundo    
१२ भधुनाशळनी Gymnema    
१४ धामटी Woodfordia fructicosa    
sylvestre
१३ अनंतभऱ
ू Hemidesmus    
indicus
१४ भाधलीरता Hiptage 
benghalensis
१५ लाकेयी Moullava spicata 
Restore soil ! Restore moisture !
Plant Natives !

oikos for ecological services

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