Tamil Nadu Forest Department
Encyclopedia
Hugh Francis Cleghorn
Hugh Francis Clarke Cleghorn of Stravithie was a pioneering Scottish physician, botanist and forester who worked in India...
, "the father of scientific forestry in India". The department is responsible for managing all the protected areas and forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s plus environmental
Environmental policy
Environmental policy is any [course of] action deliberately taken [or not taken] to manage human activities with a view to prevent, reduce, or mitigate harmful effects on nature and natural resources, and ensuring that man-made changes to the environment do not have harmful effects on...
and wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
related issues of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
state in South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
. The objective of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department is to conserve biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
and eco-systems of forests and wilderness areas in order to ensure water security
Water security
Water security is the capacity of a population to ensure that they continue to have access to potable water. It is an increasing concern arising from population growth, drought, climate change, oscillation between El Nino and La Nina effects, urbanisation, salinity, upstream pollution,...
and food security
Food security
Food security refers to the availability of food and one's access to it. A household is considered food-secure when its occupants do not live in hunger or fear of starvation. According to the World Resources Institute, global per capita food production has been increasing substantially for the past...
of the state.
The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) is the head of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. The Chief Wildlife Warden, five Additional Principal Chief Conservators of Forests and eight Chief Conservator of Forests function under the PCCF in the head office at Panagal Maaligai (pictured), Saidapet
Saidapet
Saidapet is an important neighbourhood in Chennai , India. The Saidapet Court, the only other court of judicature in Chennai city apart from the Madras High Court and the Saidapet bus depot are located here...
, Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
. All the Chief Conservators of Forests are assisted by the Conservators of Forests and Deputy Conservator of Forests who have regional and specialized responsibilities.
All officials of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, down to the level of Assistant Conservator of Forests, are graduates of Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration
Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration
The Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration is a research and training institute on public policy and public administration in India...
and the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy
Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy
Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy was constituted in the year 1987 by renaming the erstwhile Indian Forest College, which was originally established in 1938 for training senior forest officers. It is situated in the New Forest campus of Forest Research Institute , Dehradun...
and are members of the Indian Forest Service
Indian Forest Service
The Indian Forest Service is the Forestry service of India. It is one of the three All India Services of the Indian government, along with the Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service; its employees are recruited by the national government but serve under the state governments or...
, entitled to use the formal suffix IFS after their name. There are total of 9,188 employees of the department.
History
Hugh Francis Cleghorn
Hugh Francis Clarke Cleghorn of Stravithie was a pioneering Scottish physician, botanist and forester who worked in India...
(pictured) was asked to organise the Madras Forest Department and started systematic forest
Sustainable forest management
Sustainable forest management is the management of forests according to the principles of sustainable development. Sustainable forest management uses very broad social, economic and environmental goals...
conservancy in India. On December 19, 1856 he was appointed Conservator of Forests in Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
. His persistent campaigning with the Government resulted in the banning of shifting cultivation
Shifting cultivation
Shifting cultivation is an agricultural system in which plots of land are cultivated temporarily, then abandoned. This system often involves clearing of a piece of land followed by several years of wood harvesting or farming, until the soil loses fertility...
in the Madras Presidency in 1860.
Cleghorn organized the new Madras Forestry Department with such energy and success that he was asked to extend his operations into the Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
. He also afforded Mr. Dietrich Brandis
Dietrich Brandis
Sir Dietrich Brandis, KCIE, FRS was a German forester who worked in India. He is considered the father of tropical forestry.-Early life:...
, CIE
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
, FRS, CIE
CIE
-Organizations:* Cambridge International Examinations, an international examination board* Cleveland Institute of Electronics, a private technical and engineering educational institution — the International Commission on Illumination...
, (pictured), efficient assistance in introducing and systematically working forest conservancy in the forests of Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
. Cleghorn has been called "the father of scientific forestry in India"
On January 10, 1865, a public resolution by the Government of India, designated Dr. Cleghorn as the founder of Forest Conservancy in India, and added: "His long services from the first organisation of forest management in Madras have without question greatly conduced to the public good in this branch of the administration".
Douglas Hamilton
Douglas Hamilton
General Douglas Hamilton was a British Indian Army officer, gazetted to the 21st Regiment of the Madras Native Infantry from 1837 to 1871. He was a well known surveyor of the early British hill stations in South India and a famous sportsman, shikari, big-game hunter and trophy collector. He was an...
was very interested in forest conservation
Sustainable forest management
Sustainable forest management is the management of forests according to the principles of sustainable development. Sustainable forest management uses very broad social, economic and environmental goals...
in South India, and often visited his old friend General James Michael who was organizing an experimental forest conservancy in the Annaimalai Hills. In 1854, he was appointed to temporarily manage the conservancy and showed great aptitude for these new forestry duties. Douglas succeeded permanently to the appointment and for the next three years was in charge of the Annaimalai forests, supplying teak
Teak
Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
for shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
at the Bombay Dockyard
Bombay Dockyard
Bombay Dockyard—also known as Naval Dockyard—is an Indian shipbuilding yard at Mumbai.Shipbuilding was an established profession throughout the Indian coastline prior to the advent of the Europeans and it contributed significantly to maritime exploration throughout Indian maritime history. Indian...
.
During this period, he became Assistant Conservator of Forests under Dr. Hugh Francis Cleghorn who recently established the Madras Forest Department and whose work led to the establishment of the Forest Department of India
Ministry of Environment and Forests
The Ministry of Environment and Forests is an Indian government ministry. The Minister of Environment and Forests holds cabinet rank as a member of the Council of Ministers...
in 1864.
In 1857 Douglas Hamilton had to return to his Regiment. The assistant conservator vacancy at Anamalai was filled by Lieutenant Richard Henry Beddome
Richard Henry Beddome
Colonel Richard Henry Beddome was a British military officer in India, chief conservator of the Madras Forest Department and a naturalist...
, who was an excellent explorer and who had a good knowledge of botany. He was recommended to Dr. Cleghorn because of his powers of observation and description. He succeeded Cleghorn in 1860 and remained Chief Conservator until 1882.
After the retirement of Beddome, upon the direction of the Viceroy of India the Marquis of Ripon and with the strong support of M. E. Grant Duff, Governor of Madras, Dietrich Brandis reorganized the Forestry Department as it operated smoothly thereafter. J. A. Gamble followed R. H. Beddome as the conservator of forests. Gamble's successor was Henry Anderson Gass (pictured). Gass is now remembered for establishing the Gass Forest Museum
Gass Forest Museum
Gass Forest Museum is a government run natural history museum situated at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, South India.-History:Toward the end of the 19th century, an aborted attempt was made by J. A. Gamble, the conservator of forests of Madras Presidency to establish a forest museum in the province...
. Gass was succeeded by F.A. Lodge and then by J.A. Master.
In 1868, The Forest College and Research Institute was first established as part of the Agricultural School
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University came into being on June 1, 1971. However, it had its genesis from establishment of an agricultural school at Saidapet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, in 1868 and was later relocated at Marudamalai Road in Coimbatore....
at Saidapet, Chennai (Madras). In 1916, it moved to Coimbatore
Coimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
. In 1989, Masters program in forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
was introduced at the Forest College & Research Institute, new campus at Mettupalayam. In 1990, a Doctoral program was also introduced.
In 1969, Madras State was renamed Tamil Nadu (land of the Tamils) and the name of the department was likewise also changed.
Objectives
The overall objective of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department is to conserve biodiversityBiodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
and eco-systems of forests and wilderness areas in order to ensure water security
Water security
Water security is the capacity of a population to ensure that they continue to have access to potable water. It is an increasing concern arising from population growth, drought, climate change, oscillation between El Nino and La Nina effects, urbanisation, salinity, upstream pollution,...
and food security
Food security
Food security refers to the availability of food and one's access to it. A household is considered food-secure when its occupants do not live in hunger or fear of starvation. According to the World Resources Institute, global per capita food production has been increasing substantially for the past...
of the state. Wildlife and wildlife habitats should be conserved and sustainably managed to meet the social, economic, ecological, cultural, recreational and spiritual needs of the present and future generations of people in the state.
The forests in Tamil Nadu are managed with the following objectives:
- Ensure environmental stability by restoring ecological balance in forest ecosystems.
- Increase forest and tree cover to 33% of the state, and enhance the quality of forests.
- Conserve the wide array of bio-diversity through scientific management and improve habitat conditions for improved forest health.
- Protect and develop the forest catchment areaDrainage basinA drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of rivers, lakes, reservoirs and all aquatic eco-systems. - Meet the local requirements of fuel, fodder, non-timber forest productsNon-timber forest productsNon-timber forest products are considered as any commodity obtained from the forest that does not necessitate harvesting trees. It includes game animals, fur-bearers, nuts and seeds, berries,...
and small timber to the extent possible on a sustainable basis through the principles of watershed development and Joint Forest Management. - Sensitise all sections of the society for forest/tree conservationSustainable forest managementSustainable forest management is the management of forests according to the principles of sustainable development. Sustainable forest management uses very broad social, economic and environmental goals...
through planning, interpretation, integration and collaboration. - Increase forest based entrepreneurshipEntrepreneurshipEntrepreneurship is the act of being an entrepreneur, which can be defined as "one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods". This may result in new organizations or may be part of revitalizing mature organizations in response...
to support improved livelihood and develop efficient marketing strategies. - Make traditional forest produce available to the tribal people living inside the forests and make them partners in forest management.
- Develop alternativeAlternative energyAlternative energy is an umbrella term that refers to any source of usable energy intended to replace fuel sources without the undesired consequences of the replaced fuels....
renewableRenewable energyRenewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
energy sources to meet the energy requirement of remote villages. - Increase scientific management of forests for multiple objectives and to strengthen growth, yield and productivity systems.
- Stabilize coastal eco-systemIntegrated coastal zone managementIntegrated coastal zone management or Integrated coastal management is a process for the management of the coast using an integrated approach, regarding all aspects of the coastal zone, including geographical and political boundaries, in an attempt to achieve sustainability.This concept was born...
s to ensure protection from natural calamities such as cyclones and tsunamis.
Strategies
Strategies adopted by the Forest Department to achieve these objectives are:- Provide absolute protection to forested area from all factors causing degradation, depletion and destruction of wildlife and wildlife habitats, by strict enforcement of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972Wildlife Protection Act of 1972The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 refers to a sweeping package of legislation enacted in 1972 by the Government of India. Before 1972, India only had five designated national parks...
and the Tamil Nadu Forest Act, 1882. - Undertake Eco-development works to provide benefits to the occupants of habitations and villages in and around protected areas and enlist and maintain their support and willing participation in wildlife conservation.
- Facilitate empowerment of women for sustainable forest management.
- Facilitate education and awareness creation facilities including creation of Education and interpretation centreInterpretation centreAn interpretation centre, or interpretive centre, is an institution for dissemination of knowledge of natural or cultural heritage. Interpretation centres are a kind of new-style museum, often associated with visitor centres or ecomuseums, and located in connection to cultural, historic or natural...
s for the benefit of all sections of population, especially students. - Create awareness of the need to conserve our natural bio-resources through various mass mediaMass mediaMass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
and other means (pictured). - Undertake fire preventionFire preventionFire Prevention is a function of many fire departments. The goal of fire prevention is to educate the public to take precautions to prevent fires, and be educated about surviving them. It is a proactive method of reducing emergencies and the damage caused by them. Many fire departments have a Fire...
and control measures in and around protected areas through specific programmes. - Undertake habitat restoration, afforestationAfforestationAfforestation is the establishment of a forest or stand of trees in an area where there was no forest. Reforestation is the reestablishment of forest cover, either naturally or artificially...
and improvement measures wherever necessary. - Relocate human settlements from Protected Areas.
- Prevent outbreak of contagious diseases among wild animals by taking prophylactic disease prevention measures among domestic animals entering Sanctuaries and National Parks.
- Develop ex-situ conservation centres such as zoological parksZooA zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
, breeding and nursery programs and gene gardens. - Construction of crop protectionCrop protectionCrop protection is the branch of horticulture concerned with protecting crops from pests, weeds, disease and theft.It encompasses:* Pesticide-based approaches such as herbicides, insecticides and fungicides...
structures like fences, trenches and walls, etc. - Identify and restore wildlife corridorWildlife corridorA wildlife corridor or green corridor is an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities . This allows an exchange of individuals between populations, which may help prevent the negative effects of inbreeding and reduced genetic diversity that often occur within...
s to facilitate free movement of animals between, through and around Protected Areas. - Award adequate compensatory damages to affected persons for death or damage caused by Human-wildlife conflict.
- Restrict and regulate pollutionPollutionPollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
causing industries and activities in a radius of 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) around protected areas as per the Environment Protection Act. - Integrate the wildlife Protected Areas on a watershed or landscape basis with other sectors such as Rural Development, Animal Husbandry and Social Forestry for the sustained conservation and development of the area.
- Ensure that each and every Protected Area has a management planEnvironmental managementEnvironmental resource management is “a purposeful activity with the goal to maintain and improve the state of an environmental resource affected by human activities” . It is not, as the phrase suggests, the management of the environment as such, but rather the management of the interaction and...
in place. - Conserve the medicinal plants in protected areas by creation and management of Medicinal Plants Conservation Area (MPCAs).
- Promote wildlife tourismWildlife tourismWildlife tourism can be an eco and animal friendly tourism, usually showing animals in their natural habitat. Wildlife tourism, in its simplest sense, is watching wild animals in their natural habitat...
for the Parks and not Parks for tourism. Tourism demands are subservient to conservation interests of the protected areas. - Encourage appropriate monitoring and research works to develop working programmes and plans, in order to tackle identified problems in achieving objectives.
Geographic divisions
The Forest Department is responsible for managing an area over 3305 km² (1,276.1 sq mi), constituting 2.54% of the geographic area and 17.41% of the 22643 km² (8,742.5 sq mi) recorded forest area of the state. The Forest Department is organized in a geographic hierarchy ranging from Regions, Forestry Circles, Forestry Divisions and Forest Ranges to Beats and Watches. Each geographic category has its own level of management.Management
The Forest Department is organized in an administrative hierarchy ranging from Principle Chief Conservator of Forests to Forest Watchers, Mahouts and others.Principal Chief Conservator of Forests
The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) is in overall control of the whole Forest Department. All significant orders, permissions, declarations and authorizations of the department are personally reviewed, approved and signed by him.The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Chief Wildllife Warden (PCCF & CWLW) is the principal assistant to the PCCF and is responsible for all wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
matters of the department. There is also an Eco-development
Ecological economics
Image:Sustainable development.svg|right|The three pillars of sustainability. Clickable.|275px|thumbpoly 138 194 148 219 164 240 182 257 219 277 263 291 261 311 264 331 272 351 283 366 300 383 316 394 287 408 261 417 224 424 182 426 154 423 119 415 87 403 58 385 40 368 24 347 17 328 13 309 16 286 26...
officer directly advising the PCCF.
Five Additional Principal Chief Conservators of Forests (APCCF) are separately responsible for central administration of Afforestation
Afforestation
Afforestation is the establishment of a forest or stand of trees in an area where there was no forest. Reforestation is the reestablishment of forest cover, either naturally or artificially...
, Planning & Budgeting, Research & Working Plan, Forest Administration and the Forest Conservation Act
Environmental policy of the Government of India
-References:* * * * '...
.
Chief Conservator of Forests
There are 13 Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), each of whom manages a Forest region in addition to managing a separate technical aspect of Forest Department responsibility statewide. The separate technical aspects areTamil Nadu Afforestation Project (TAP), Planning and Development, Personnel and Vigilance, Social Forestry and Extension, BiodiversityBiodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
, Wildlife, Department Working Plan (WP), Headquarters, Research, Extension, Tamil Nadu Forest Academy
Gass Forest Museum
Gass Forest Museum is a government run natural history museum situated at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, South India.-History:Toward the end of the 19th century, an aborted attempt was made by J. A. Gamble, the conservator of forests of Madras Presidency to establish a forest museum in the province...
(TNFA), Field Director - Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve , situated in the Southern Western Ghats in Tirunelveli district, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is the second largest protected area in Tamil Nadu State.-History:...
(KMTR) and Director - Arignar Anna Zoological Park
Arignar Anna Zoological Park
Arignar Anna Zoological Park , also known as the Vandalur Zoo, is a zoological garden located in Vandalur, a suburb in the southwestern part of Chennai, India, about from the city centre and from Chennai Airport on GST Road. The zoo is contiguous with the Guindy National Park. Founded in 1855,...
(AAZP).
Forest Regions and Circles
The state is divided into 6 forest regions, each composed of two forest circleForest circle
A forest circle is a term used to signify an area containing one or more demarcated and protected or resource-managed forests, for administrative purposes...
s. The wildlife matters of each region, including the 5 National Parks in Tamil Nadu, are the responsibility of a regional wildlife warden
Game warden
A game warden is an employee who has the role of protecting wildlife. Game wardens may also be referred to as conservation officers or wildlife officers...
. There are 12 territorial Forest circles. These Regions and Forest circles plus the KMTR, AAZP, TNFA and WP are the allotted responsibility of the following CCF:
- Chennai region: ChennaiChennaiChennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
Circle & VelloreVelloreVellore It is considered one of the oldest cities in South India and lies on the banks of the Palar river on the site of Vellore Fort. The city lies between Chennai and Bangalore and the Temple towns of Thiruvannamalai and Tirupati...
Circle, CCF (Social Forestry) - Trichy region: Trichy Circle & Villupuram Circle, CCF (Personnel and Vigilance)
- Madurai region: MaduraiMaduraiMadurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
Circle & DindigulDindigulDindigul is a town and municipality in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India. The name Dindigul comes from the Portmanteau of “Thindu” meaning pillow and “kal” meaning Rock and refers to the bare hill dominating the city’s both land and skyscape...
Circle, CCF (Planning & Development) - Salem region: Salem Circle & DharmapuriDharmapuriDharmapuri is a town and the administrative headquarters of Dharmapuri district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is located 65 km north of Salem. Dharmapuri is a part of the Kongu Nadu an ancient division of Tamilakam. It is one of the ancient towns of Tamil Nadu and a rapid developing...
Circle, CCF (Headquarters) - Tirunelveli region: VirudhunagarVirudhunagarVirudhunagar is a municipality in Virudhunagar district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.In the beginning of 20th century AD, Virudhupatti was one among the six important places of Ramanathapuram District. Due to the rapid growth in the field of Trade and Education, it was renamed as...
Circle & TirunelveliTirunelveliTirunelveli , also known as Nellai , and historically as Tinnevelly, is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Tirunelveli District and the sixth biggest city in Tamil Nadu...
Circle, CCF (Wildlife) - Coimbatore region CoimbatoreCoimbatoreCoimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
Circle & ErodeErodeErode is a city, a municipal corporation and the headquarters of Erode district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.It is situated at the center of the South Indian Peninsula, about southwest from the state capital Chennai and on the banks of the rivers Cauvery and Bhavani, between 11° 19.5"...
Circle, CCF (TAP) - AAZP, Director & CCF
- KMTR, Project TigerProject TigerProject Tiger was launched in 1972 in India. The project aims at ensuring a viable population of tigers in their natural habitats and preserving areas of biological importance as a natural heritage for the people. The selection of areas for the reserves represented as close as possible the...
Field Director & CCF - Special Region, Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve (GOMBRT) CCF and Trust Director
- TNFA, Director & CCF. There is also a Principle TNFTC and 2 Additional Directors TNFA
- WP, Working Plan CCF (WP)
Conservator of Forests
There are 26 Conservator of Forests (CF) under the CCFs, with one locally responsible for each of the 12 Forest Circles, 4 for Working Plans, and one each responsible for Planning & Development, Protection, Project Formulation, Forest Consolidation, Publicity, GIS, HRD, TAP-I, TAP-II and Research. There are also 49 Assistant Conservator of Forests, who are usually new IFS officers.Forest divisions
Within each Forest Circle there are 2 or more Forest divisionForest division
A forest division is a term used to signify an area containing one or more demarcated and protected or resource-managed forests, for administrative purposes...
s managed by one or more of 17 Divisional Conservator of Forests (DCF) or 18 Deputy Conservator of Forests and 30 District Forest Officers (DFO).
Each Forest division has several Forest range
Forest range
A forest range is a term used to signify an area containing one or more demarcated and protected or resource-managed forests, for administrative purposes...
s that are managed locally by Forest range officer
Forest range officer
A forest range officer is an officer belonging to a state forest service in the Government of India. He is responsible for managing the forests, environment and wildlife related issues of a forest range of a state or a union territory of India. He is assisted by other state forest officials...
s (FRO).
Each Forest range is divided into beats, each of which is the responsibility of one of the 585 Forest Rangers in the state.
Each beat is divided into Forest watches, each of which is the responsibility of one or more of the 1,353 Forest watchers in the state. In addition there are 2,421 Forest guard
Security guard
A security guard is a person who is paid to protect property, assets, or people. Security guards are usually privately and formally employed personnel...
s to assist patrolling the forests.
There are 39 Mahout
Mahout
A mahout is a person who drives an elephant. The word mahout comes from the Hindi words mahaut and mahavat. Usually, a mahout starts as a boy in the 'family business' when he is assigned an elephant early in its life and they would be attached to each other throughout the elephant's life.The most...
s and 44 Cavady to manage and train the working elephants (Kumki
Kumki
Kumki is the local name for captive, trained Indian elephants. These are used mostly for taming and training of newly captured wild elephants and also to lead away wild elephants that stray in to human settlements....
) owned and used by the Forest Department. There are 1,320 Forester
Forester
250px|thumb|right|Foresters of [[Southern University of Chile|UACh]] in the [[Valdivian forest]]s of San Pablo de Tregua, ChileA forester is a person who practices forestry, the science, art, and profession of managing forests. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including timber...
s employed to physically manage the trees in the states forests. In addition, there are 3,256 ministerial staff and other employees in the department.