1. Benica Jayasekara As 2006043 4th Year
CHALLENGES FACED BY FOREST DEPARTMENT IN ESTABLISHING Khaya plantations in sri lanka
Benica Jayasekara As
4th Year

2. WHAT’S KHAYA ? Khaya senegalensis Family Meliaceae African mahogany
Fast growing in dry conditions.
20-30m height
Hard, dense, reddish brown timber.

3. KHAYA IN SRI LANKA
1 of the major timber sp. in reforestation programs in Sri Lanka.
Introduced from Africa in 1960’s.
Excellent growth rates in intermediate & dry zones.
Good timber for furniture.

4. WHY F.D. USES KHAYA? Reforestation in dry zone. Fast growth rates.
Community like Khaya than teak.
Khaya tolerates,
Poor site quality
Heavy weed competition
Harsh conditions
Diseases
Pests (except borer)

5. WHY COMMUNITY LIKES KHAYA?
Excellent timber for furniture.
Deep red brown wood.
Can be sawn easily.
Takes good polish.
Weight up to735kg/m3.
Bark has a medicinal use.
Shady.
No elephant damage.

6. KHAYA PLANTATIONS BY F.D. IN DRY ZONE AS
1st Rotation
2nd Rotation

7. According to the F. D. Khaya selected as the best tree sp
According to the F.D. Khaya selected as the best tree sp. for the dry zone reforestation in Sri Lanka.
But there are few challenges.

8. LESS SEED VIABILITY
EXPENSIVE SEEDS
FERTILIZATION
FIRES
CHALLENGES
WEEDING
RED STEM BORER
MULTIPLE SHOOTS
BLACK TWIG BORER
PORCUPINES

9. EXPENSIVE SEEDS ? Seeds quickly loose their viability. Unavailability.
Import from Senegal.
1 seed = Rs. 20
At the nursery,
Seeds mother bed seedling
Fresh seed poly bag
seedling
READY TO PLANT AT SITES
saw

10. MULTIPLE SHOOTS ? At the nursery & plantation at early stages.
Remove additional shoots in seedling leaving one vigorous shoot to develop.

11. AT THE PLANTATION, Sites in dry zone Mechanical land preparation Pit preparation (2.5m * 2.5m spacing) Plant (with north-east monsoons) 1 month Fertilize (until 5 years) 1 year Weeding (until 2 years) Pruning

12. Fertilization Degraded sites. Essential until 2 years.
For best results (5 years)
Only if F.D. has money.

13. WEEDING Reduce competition. Protect from porcupines.
Clear 1m radius circle around seedling.
Low slashing for other area.

14. Black twig borer
Xylosandrus compactus
(6 months –3 years)
Red stem borer
Zeuzera coffeae
Plants of 5 months – 3 years
Results
Stunted growth
Multiple shoots
Poor wood quality
Poor wood recovery

15. For borer attacks,
1) Treat with ,
Carbofuran
Endosulfuran
2) Burn affected seedlings.
3) Regular monitoring.
4) Prune extra secondary shoots.

16. Fires Fire belts . *10m wide gravel roads around the plantation.
gravel roads inside the plantation.
Immediate actions for fires.

17. MY RECOMMENDATIONS For best seeds, Select better mother trees.
Establish seed orchards.
Improve seed production.
Further studies on vegetative propagation of Khaya.
For borer attack,
Regular monitoring.
Treat with relevant insecticide.
Destroy affected plants.

18. REFERENCES
Mannakkara,A. & Alawathugoda,R.M.D.(2005), Black twig borer damage for forest tree species, The Sri Lanka Forester, Volume 28(new series),65-75.
Mannakkara,A. & Alawathugoda,R.M.D.(2005), Seed propagation & vegetative multiplications of Khaya senegalensis, The Sri Lanka Forester, Volume 28(new series),77-84.
Mannakkara,A.(2004), Red stem borer attack in forest plantations in Sri Lanka, Forest research newsletter,2.
Weerawardane, N.D.R.(2004), Strategies for improvement of reforestation in the dry zone, Forest research newsletter,4.
Mannakkara,A.(2004), Black twig borer damage in forest nurseries, Forest research newsletter,6.
Mannakkara,A.(2005), vegetative propagation of Khaya senegalensis, , Forest research newsletter,2
Personnel communication
Mr. Nishantha Edirisinghe, Assistant conservator of forests, Forest Department, Battaramulla.

19. THANK YOU