FRI Dehradun Improved Seed Source

The Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun — India's oldest and most prominent forestry research institution, established in 1906 — maintains seed-stands and research nurseries for Shorea robusta (sal) as part of its silviculture and forest genetics programmes. Sal seed collected from these managed stands is genetically better screened than wild-collected seed from degraded forests, giving seedlings with straighter stems, more uniform growth and better survival after transplanting. FRI also researches sal seed storage and viability — a critical bottleneck, since sal seeds are recalcitrant (they lose viability within days to weeks of collection if not sown or stored properly in moist conditions, unlike orthodox seeds that can be dried and stored for months). Planting material from FRI-linked nurseries is supplied primarily for government afforestation and reforestation programmes in the sub-Himalayan sal belt of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and adjoining states.

Plant typeSeedling (research institute)
Maturity30+ year rotation to full-value timber
Yield potentialHigh timber value; improved seed-stand selection gives straighter, more uniform stems
Disease resistanceNot separately documented; standard sal borer and fire-damage watch applies
SoilWell-drained sandy loam to loam
SeasonAll seasons

• Spacing2 × 2 m to 3 × 3 m at initial planting, thinned over the rotation

Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.

• Uttarakhand
• Uttar Pradesh

• State Forest Department Nursery Seedling

  Seedlings raised in state forest department nurseries from locally collected sal seed — the most widely available and affordable source of sal planting material for farmers in the sal belt.

  View variety details

• Coppice / Root-Sucker Regeneration

  Sal regenerates vigorously from coppice shoots (from cut stumps) and root suckers — the dominant natural regeneration mechanism in managed sal forests across central India.

  View variety details

• Stump Planting (Nursery-Raised)

  Nursery-raised sal seedlings are cut back to a stump (15–20 cm shoot + 20–25 cm taproot) before planting in the field at monsoon onset. This standard forestry technique gives better survival than direct seeding and is the most common planting method for sal in government afforestation programmes.

  View variety details