Impact of Joint Forest Management strategy on fertility of forest soils

Abstract

Forests which are the most precious ecosystems in this world are now degrading due to many activities. For the sustenance of these forests various steps have been taken. Amongst it, the introduction of Joint Forest Management (JFM) is an important step. In the present study, the impact of Joint Forest Management strategies on the fertility of the forest soil has been assessed. The hypothesis of finding fertile soils in JFM villages when compared to Non-JFM did not prove to be true but had a lot of variation. This was revealed through the physicochemical studies. The studies have also highlighted the significance of different soil chemical parameters, the litter and the nature of plant species in improving the fertility of the forest villages where such JFM practices are carried out.