Sub-centre Nilambur

Sub-centre Nilambur

KFRI Sub Centre is situated in the fringe area of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, about 5 km from Nilambur town. It is located on the Kozhikkode-Gudalur road and on the bank of Karimpuzha, a tributary of the Chaliyar River.

With a campus of around 43.36 ha, the KFRI Sub Centre is one of the important Green Institutions in Malappuram District, which has rich floral and faunal diversity. The campus is rich in plant diversity, with 1643 taxa of angiosperm plants belonging to 840 genera and 152 families. Of these, 1452 taxa represented species (subspecies and natural varieties included), while the remaining 191 taxa represented cultivars and hybrids. The types of existing plant species depend upon the local geology, naturally occurring or introduced soils, water availability, and the amount of human intervention. Thus, the campus can show a range of landscapes, from carefully tended areas to areas that have reverted to nature under the influence of the forces that control ecological succession.

The campus is regarded as a haven for birds and butterflies. Around 101 species of birds, including resident birds such as the Chestnut-Headed Bee-Eater, Plum-Headed Parakeet, Redspur Fowl, and Spotted Dove, and migratory birds such as the Indian Red-Rumped Swallow, Indian Pitta, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, and Eurasian golden oriole, can be frequently seen on the Campus.

In recognition of the scarcity of information pertaining to suitable species for forestry plantations, social forestry, farm forestry and agroforestry programmes in the State, as early as in 1980, the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) has initiated in its Sub Centre a species trial project. The overall objective of the project was to analyse the growth and yield patterns of a set of both native and exotic tree species growing in the same locality. Thus, in the Sub Centre Campus one can see spices trail plots of Ailanthus triphysa, Acacia mangium, Casuarina equisetifolia, Swietenia macrophylla, Pterocarpus marsupium, Pterocarpus marsupium, Pterocarpus santalinus, Artocarpus hirsutus, Adenanthera pavonina, Santalum album, Chukrasia tabularis, Hopea parviflora, Toona ciliata, Eucalyptus brasiana, Eucalyptus cloezinna, Eucalyptus deglupta, Eucalyptus pallita, Eucalyptus camaldulansis, Eucalyptus saligna, Eucalyptus teritcornis and Eucalyptus urohylla. This range of species growing in the Sub Centre campus helps to evaluate and compare the growth and yield of individuals growing in one single area.

Another attraction for students, foresters, and researchers is the bambusetum of the KFRI Sub Centre. In this bamboo gene bank conservation area over 50 species of bamboo including Bambusa balcooa, Bambusa bambos, Bambusa glaucescens, Bambusa polymorpha, Bambusa vulgaris, Bambusa verigata, Bambusa wamin, Dendrocalamus asper, Dendrocalamus brandisii, Dendrocalamus giganteus, Dendrocalamus longispathus, Dendrocalamus sikkimensis, Dendrocalamus strictus, Gigantochloa atroviolacea, Melocanna baccifera, Ochlandra scriptoria, Ochlandra travancorica, Pseudoxytenanthera stocksii, Schizostachyum dullooa, Thyrsostachys oliveri, Thyrsostachys siamensis and Schizostachyum beddomei are growing.

Being a part of the Western Ghats, one of the hot spots in the world, Kerala has about 1,661 endemic angiosperm species. Of these, 496 species come under rare, endangered and threatened (RET) species categories, occurring in isolated populations. Among these 496 species, 151 are tree species. In the KFRI Sub Centre, an ex-situ conservation area for RET tree species has been developed. In the RET area, over 74 species are planted in blocks. A visit to this RET species conservation area will be of great value in understanding the ecological and silvicultural aspects of these species.

One of KFRI's mandates is to disseminate knowledge and information on forest-related matters to end-users, farmers, and the general public and transfer technology to stakeholders for social benefits. To fulfil this mandate, the KFRI Sub Centre is equipped with the necessary infrastructure and is carrying out several events and programmes. A well-furnished guest house and two dormitories will offer students and trainees a comfortable stay. Based on the students' requests and specific interests, apart from demonstrations and hands-on activities in the field, classes, seminars, and training workshops on conservation management and sustainable utilization of natural resources are organized in the Sub Centre.

Research Activities in the KFRI Sub Centre are organized under the following themes:

• Natural Forests: To provide scientific knowledge on the physiology, anatomy, and synecology of tree species of different forest types in Kerala and to conduct landscape ecological studies aiming to identify strategies for rehabilitating degraded forests in the state.
• Plantations: To develop ecologically sound management practices for teak and bamboo plantations to sustain productivity and improve biodiversity and economic benefits.
• Agroforestry: to assess the scientific validity of traditional farming techniques and practices prevailing in the home garden agroforestry system and to gather information on the use and management of non-crop edible and medicinal plants in home gardens of the State.
• Sacred groves: a community-conserved institution and an essential unit in the rural landscapes of Kerala.
• Urban Green Spaces: to explore the social and ecological benefits of different forms of urban green spaces in the State.

The results of KFRI Sub Centre's research are published in peer-reviewed scientific journals and also transferred to relevant government agencies involved in overseeing and managing forest and agroforestry resources.