HYDERABAD: The Telangana government has approved the upgradation of the Forest College and Research Institute (FCRI) to a fullfledged University of Forestry (UOF), during its ongoing assembly session. The UoF will be first of its kind in India and third in the world — after Russia and China – and developed as a world-class institution for forestry education, research, extension and outreach.
In addition to the present set of programmes, the UoF is tipped to have 18 new academic programmes such as PhD course, diploma & certificate courses in urban forestry, nursery management, agroforestry, tribal livelihood enhancement, forest entrepreneurship, climate smart forestry & forest parks management.
The main objectives of the proposed university are to produce qualified forestry professionals for conservation and sustainable management of forest resources, foster research and develop appropriate methods for propagation of the plantation crops to meet the demands from industry as also domestic needs, and develop agroforestry models suitable for different agro-ecological situations, apart from conventional forestry operations so as to reduce pressure on natural forests, economic uplift of farming communities and enhancement of ecological conditions, networking and partnership with similar institutions to synergize learning, promote action research by providing extension training to far mers, produce trained forestry professionals.
Owing to this, the present student strength of 726 will be raised by 366 in the university. The employee strength will be raised from 118 to 210. The chief minister will be the chancellor of the university and he will appoint the vice chancellor.
