FOREST PROTECTION RESEARCH DIRECTORATE
- Background
Trees growing both in natural forest, plantation and tree on
landscape are subjected to various damages. There are a number
A/Director, Forest Protection
of biotic and abiotic factors that lead to such abnormal tree growth. These damage caused by these agents impair the normal metabolic functioning of trees and these hinder the survival and growth of trees. It is therefore essential to investigating and understanding the cause of the damage and its impact on forest and the tree. Developing technique that help to minimize the adverse effect of the damage requires to get due attention. The directorate is therefore establish to investigate all the health related problems.
- Description of Forest Protection Research Directorate
The forest protection research has been identified as one of the research directorate of the institute and its main mandates include conducting research on the tree disease and damage caused by different agents including fungi, bacteria, parasitic plants, as well as insect pests. This agents can cause various damage on trees. Similarly, forest fire and invasive plant species can inflect divers damage on trees. The research on forest protection therefore focus on identifying and characterizing the cause of tree disease, damage from insect pest, parasitic plants and it also consider the issues associated with forest fire and invasive species. The Research Directorate has two research divisions. Forest Pathology and Entomology Research Division is responsible to generate technologies and scientific information on identity, importance and control options of tree disease caused by biotic agents: and Forest Fire, Invasive Species and other Forest Pest Research Division is mainly responsible to generate technologies and scientific information on the behavior, impact of forest fire and invasive species and control mechanisms of forest fire and invasive species. The Directorate also provide training and advisory to the other stakeholders as deemed necessary.
- Area of focus
The major focus area of the Research Directorate is to make available some technologies, knowledge and information the identity, type of damage caused by biotic and abiotic agents. It dwell on forest disease and insect pest, on forest fire and on invasive plant species behavior and management. It tries to characterize the biology of the biotic agent by adopting modern techniques and will try to characterize and identify areas prone to forest fire and invasive species.
- Current projects
There directorate is currently conducting about 4 research projects. From the current and upcoming research activities its has been planned to generate about 17 technology and scientific information in the Growth and Transformation plan period II, i.e. from 2016-2020. The technology and information to be generated will attempt to identify, characterize and evaluate the importance of the causative agents. It will also consider an indicative means of minimizing tree damage.
Abraham Yirgu (MSc)
A/ Director, Forest Protection Directorate
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- E-mail: abrahamyirguw@gmail.com /or/ abrahamy@efd.gov.et
- Mobile phone: +251 911 184266
- Office phone: +251 116 464887
