A career in forestry

By Taru Bahl

THE phrase "caring for the land and serving people" captures the forest service mission whose credo is to achieve quality land management under the sustainable multiple-use management concept to meet diverse needs of people. It manages land for recreation, forage, timber, wilderness and cooperates with fellow agencies for fish, wildlife, tourism, heritage, energy and minerals.

Forests form a vital resource of any country and are meant to provide products and services ranging from timber, fodder and industrial raw materials to shade tree plantation,utilisation of wastelands, forest entomology, wildlife management and energy conservation. This is an awesome task which relies on skilled and unskilled human resource, available both at the urban and rural level.

Trained personnel are needed to maintain and regenerate forest cover and forest wealth. You have special bodies like the Timber Trade Foundation which provides information about timber and wood products for schools and architects. Woodwise consumer guides list products and services which go into protecting the world’s forests. Country and region specific programmes like Australia’s Smart Wood Program and the Rain Forest Alliance work towards reducing the negative environmental impact of logging by applying advanced findings in forestry and conservation research to the logging industry.

Places which are prone to floods have special flood damage control initiatives where plant and tree varieties are studied, treated and preserved. The end objective is to manage forests, to ensure future protection under a land stewardship ethic which integrates reforestation, the growing, nuturing and harvesting of products, conservation of soil, air, water quality, wildlife and fish habitat.

To attain these objectives there is the collective effort of the Government, private sector and the NGOs who work at the grassroot level, identify core areas and try to complement each other in the best interests of society, nature and wildlife. Forestry is a much maligned profession where corruption, mafia influence and crime are said to be widely prevalent. But this doesn’t deter young people from joining the service, especially those who are driven with a deep commitment towards preserving their country’s natural resources.

The scope in terms of career growth and job satisfaction is immense. Much of it depends on the individual himself who establishes linkages with locals, garners support from his peers and seniors and who keeps himself abreast of the latest developments and is willing to go that extra step forward.

If interested in being a part of the vast forest service network, you have the option of seeking employment in the India Forest Service, Ministry of Environment and Forests, the forest departments of the government, in government funded/sponsored/aided projects in forestry, ecology, environment, sustainable development and wildlife, research projects in forest research institutes, the Botanical Survey of India, Zoological Survey of India, National Museum of Natural History, Central Ganges Authority and National Wasteland Development Board.

To join the Indian Forest Service you have to take your civil services exam. You have to have a science background. The selection procedure is exhaustive and includes the written test, interviews, group discussions, personality, fitness, endurance test and a medical examination. The year-long rigorous training is held at Dehra Dun’s Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy. Following which you are sent back to your state as a forest officer in the forest area or are given a slot in the Ministry of Environment and Forests. The official hierarchy is something like this : Forest officers, conservators of forests, chief conservators, principal chief conservators, inspector generals and secretary general to Government of India.

To enter the state forest service you will have to clear the State Public Service Commission exam which is modelled on the same lines as the UPSC exam. Once you complete your training from any of the government institutes in Dehra Dun, Coimbatore or Burnihat you would be appointed in either of the following capacities : Assistant conservator of forests, foresters, forest guards or forest fire watchers. Range level officers have to take separate exams which are held at the state level.

Courses in forestry are available both at the graduate and postgraduate levels B.Sc courses of three to four years’ duration are conducted by most state universities. The College of Agriculture in Hisar has a four-year programme. The criteria for eligibility is your having cleared plus-two in science with a minimum 50 per cent aggregate. In Ludhiana you have the PAU and the College of Agriculture Nainital too has a College of Agriculture. The Indian Agricultural Research Institute has a postgraduate school offering a two-year course. Bhopal has a postgraduate diploma in forest management. For research you can opt for the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (postgraduate) in Delhi. Extensive research is also carried out by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Some of its branches are in Dehra Dun, Ranchi, Allahabad, Jodhpur and Bangalore.

With a professional degree tucked under your belt you can scout for a job in mainstream forestry or in any of the subsidiary divisions — Eco-tourism, Research and Development, waste development, semi-government, NGO, foreign funded projects in a planning and advisory capacity. Agricultural, industrial and social set-ups, manufacturing units which produce paper, timber, wood, herbal and ayurvedic products and specialised bodies like the Hill Resource Management Society are other areas where you could scout for a job. You could always diversify your professional interests by going in for advanced studies in geography, biology, environmental science, wildlife and ecology.

Areas of specialisation include wildlife management, managing pest problems, snakes and their control. You could find slots in agriculture and fishery units, in community forestry and conservation reserve programmes, forest economics and taxes section, forest recreation endeavours, timber harvesting, tree health care, fire prevention, shade tree plantation and flood damage control exercises. There are experts engaged in the study and research of exotic varieties of trees and plants. In places like Australia even something as simple as tree plantation is a carefully undertaken activity involving technique and expertise. Because poor planting could lead to stress, pest and growth problems which can ruin the best species.

To do justice to the profession it is imperative that you have a fascination for the outdoors, a passion for environment and be fit mentally and physically. You should be prepared for erratic working hours since you would be on call 24 hours of the day. Your inter-personal skills will come to the fore when you find yourself dealing with people from different backgrounds and temperaments. A strong sense of judgement and the ability to stick to whatever you think is correct would hold you in good stead.