Forestry- ICAR JRF/SRF 2024

• Stem Tightener in Forest Harvesting:
• mechanical or hydraulic safety logging clamp strapped firmly around the basal trunk of high-value timber trees prior to making the felling notch and back cut.
• Primary Purpose: Prevents premature splitting / barbers-chair splintering of the stem caused by bending stresses during tree fall, protecting valuable sawlog timber. (Correct answer: Option 1)

• Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) and Minor Forest Produce (MFP):
• Fibres: Extracted from bast bark of Grewia oppositifolia (Bhimal), widely utilized for cordage and ropes in the western Himalayas $\rightarrow$ (I)
• Essential / Grass Oil: Distilled from leaves of Cymbopogon flexuosus (East Indian Lemongrass) to yield citral-rich essential oil $\rightarrow$ (II)
• Vegetable Butter / Fat: Extracted from seed kernels of Garcinia indica (Kokam), yielding kokam butter used in confectionery and cosmetics $\rightarrow$ (III)
• Natural Fruit Dye: Red powdery glandular pubescence harvested from fruit capsules of Mallotus philippensis (Kamala tree), producing yellow-orange silk dye $\rightarrow$ (IV)
• Systematic Match: (A)-(I), (B)-(II), (C)-(III), (D)-(IV) corresponds to Option 1.

Correct option: (1) (A) - (II), (B) - (1), (C) - (I), (DB) - (IY).

• Chromated Zinc Chloride Wood Preservative:
• Plain zinc chloride ($ZnCl_2$) is an effective water-borne fungicide but leaches out rapidly when exposed to rain and soil moisture.
• Incorporating hexavalent chromium (sodium dichromate) causes chemical fixation of zinc inside wood cellulose and lignin, providing superior resistance to leaching in outdoor exposures. (Correct answer: Option 4)