Organisation:

Established as Imperial Forest Research Institute in 1906, Forest Research Institute (FRI) Dehradun, is a premier institution under the Indian Council of Forest Research and Education (ICFRE). Styled in Greeko Roman Architecture by C.G. Blomfield, the main building is a National Heritage which was inaugurated in 1929The Institute's history is vertually synonymous with the evolution and development of scientific forestry, not only in India, but over the entire Indian sub-continent. Set in a lush green estate spread over 450 hectares, with the outer Himalaya forming its back drop, the Institute's main building is an impressive edifice, marrying Greco-Roman and Colonial styles of architecture, with a plinth area of 2.5 equipped laboratories,library, herbarium, arboreta, printing press and experimental field areas for conducting forestry research, quite in keeping with the best of its kind anywhere in the world. Its museums, in addition to being a valuable source of scientific information, are a major attraction for tourists.

Objectives:

The Institute caters, in particular, to the research needs of the Indo-Gangetic plains of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Western Uttar Pradesh, as Well as the U.P. Himalayas. Forest research at the FRI is organized under fourteen divisions.

Milestones: 

• 1864 Systematic Forest Management [Sir D. Brandis(The first IGF)].
• 1878 Forest School at Dehra Dun.
• 1906 Imperial FRI with Six Research Disciplines.
  • Silviculture
  • Working Plans
  • Forest Geology
  • Botany
  • Economics
  • Chemistry

FRI Strengths: 

• Strong Scientific Base
• Largest Forestry Research Manpower in South Asia
• Store House Of Knowledge
• Blending Basic Forestry Knowledge with Forntline Research
• Stress on Multi-Disciplinary and Collaborative Research
• Deemed University Status

Thrust Areas: 

• Conservation of biodiversity
• Production, certification and supply of quality seedsof fuel, fodder and timber species.
• Social forestry/ Agroforestry.
• Conservation and eco-restoration of ecologically fragile and disturbed areas.
• Utilisation of non-conventional woods and weeds for manufacture of forest products.
• Development of technology for reclamation of wastelands.
• Planting stock improvement programme of different species.
• Geological, geomorphological and micro-morphological studies on skeltetal and sodic soils.
• Reclamation and ecological monitoring of mined areas.
• Development of technology for eco-friendly preservatives.

Jurisdiction States of FRI: 

• Uttar Pradesh
• Uttarakhand
• Haryana
• Punjab
• Delhi
• Chandigarh