Casuarina Tree

30 Oct 2024 12:01:58 pm

Tags : Casuarina Tree

Topic: Biodiversity

Why in the news?

Casuarina farming sees resurgence in Vedaranyam six years after Cyclone Gaja.
Most of the casuarina plantations on about 7,000 acres of land in the region were destroyed when Cyclone Gaja hit the region; the plantations have been raised on 1,000 acres of land now.

Source: The Hindu

About Casuarina Tree:

It is native to Australia and it was introduced in India around the 19th century.
It is also known as kattadi and savukku.
The nitrogen fixing ability and adaptability to grow in a wide range of soil and climatic conditions including moisture and nutrient limited sites makes Casuarina a preferred choice for commercial and environmental planting programmes.
It is widely planted in the tropics, subtropics and Mediterranean countries because of its ready adaptability to a variety of environmental conditions and also for their rapid growth performance.
It is suited to a wide range of temperature from 10°C-33°C, from sea level up to 1500m and mean annual rainfall between 700 and 2000 mm.
It is best suited to light soils. It tolerates calcareous and slightly saline soils, but it is grown poorly on heavy soils such as clays.
Uses:
- Apart from fuel, the wood is extensively used for papermaking and of late is a preferred choice for biomass-based power generation.
- The straight cylindrical stems find use in rural house building and as scaffolds in construction sites.
- It is the principal species for developing shelterbelts in coastal areas and windbreaks for protecting agricultural crops.
- It also plays a key role in reclaiming mined areas and afforesting nutrient-poor sites.