Uttarakhand - Department of Land Resources

damage of the chir tree. From the year 1994 resin extraction is being done through the
„Rill Technique‟ through this technique the damage of the trees is limited. Extraction is
done from the month of October to March. Resin so collected is then auctioned to
various industries. In the year 2006-07 Rs. 4632.87 lakh worth resin was auctioned by
the State.
River Bed Material : In the Bhabar areas of the State a lot of boulders and sand
collects in the rivers after the rains. It is essential that for silvicultural purposes and to
save the nearby habitations these boulders and sand be removed so that the river
course is not diverted. Thus, collection of this river bed material is an very important
livelihood option for the locals of the area. The State Forest Department takes due
permission from the Govt. of India for the removal of RBM. The amount of RBM to be
removed every year from each river is calculated on technical basis and these areas are
then leased out to the Forest Corporation for removal. The Corporation in turn engages
local people for removal of RBM. This RBM is then taken to various stone crusher units
for grading and sorting purposes. In the year 2006-07 the Forest Corporation earned
revenue to the tune of Rs. 4531 lakhs through RBM removal. The main rivers in which
RBM removal is done are Gaula, Sharda, Kosi, Dabka, Ganga, Yamuna and Song.
Bamboo: As per the national scenario, Uttarakhand comes under bamboo deficit area.
There are 7 major species of bamboos viz. Dendrocalamus strictus, D. hamitonii,
Bambusa nutans, Arundinaria faccata, Themonocalamus spathiflora, Himalecalmus
falconeri, Sinarundunaria jaunserensis. Forest land under Bamboo is 139409 ha. There
is no survey of bamboos available on private lands. Major bamboos markets in
Uttarakhand are Haldwani, Dehradun, Ramnagar, Khatima and Jwalapur.
Uttarakhand Bamboo and Fiber Development Board: In order to promote bamboos
in Uttarakhand, the State Government has set up Bamboos and Fiber Development
Board. The Board has identified three naturally occurring Bamboos viz. Bambusa
nutans, D. Strictus & D. hamiltonii for promotion in the State. Recently, the State
Government has signed a MoU with a Thailand based company which would invest a
sum of Rs. 211 crores for bamboo plantation activities in Van Panchayats of
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