Fine roots (≤ 2 mm of diameter) contribute diminutive fractions of the overall tree biomass but are highly zestful and functionally remarkable component for assessing forest carbon and nutrient budgets. This study assessed how tree girth influenced fine root biomass (FRB), production (FRP) and turnover rate (FRT) in sub tropical sal forest.Four sites (S1, S2, S3, S4) were established in the bhabhar region of Nainital district, Uttarakhand, India within an elevational range of 405m and 580m. On the basis of girth size, sal trees were categorized in five girth size classes. Fine roots were sampled seasonally to a depth of 60 cm and divided into 3 layers (0-20, 20-40 and 40-60 cm).FRB was significantly affected by tree girth size (p< 0.05) while FRP and FRT showed insignificant effect. FRB was higher in lower girth classes (A-C) as compared to higher girth classes (D-E).Seasonal variation of FRB in all girth sizes showed a keen resemblance as the standing FRB reached pinnacle during rainy season and reached bottom-line in the winter season. Maximum FRB was reported for uppermost organo-mineralic soil depth (0-20 cm) at 1 m distance from tree bole and decreased with increasing soil depth and distance from tree bole while FRT showed a reverse trend. The present study will provide a holistic outlook on variations in FRB, FRP and FRT and the impact of edaphic characteristics and tree girth on fine root dynamics with respect to the studied forest stands.

The lack of political consensus and adhocism in the policies pursued by successive governments have messed up the process of disinvestments. The issue of disinvestments is not merely related with shedding of government equity but also with thousands of workers who may have to bear the social cost of the process in the form of sacrificing their jobs. The money generated through the process should not be used to cover up the fiscal deficit but in creating social and industrial infrastructure. The need of the hour is to understand the fact that the issue of disinvestments acquires varied shades as we move across the companies; hence the policy makers should handle it on case to case basis.

Seasonal variation in inorganic N-pool and Net N-mineralization rate was investigated in relation to site characteristics in sub-tropical Sal forest in Central Himalaya, India. Two sites, viz. Fatehpur (FP) located at a latitude of 29°19'23.69''N and longitude of 79°18'05.34''E at 430 m asl and Ranibagh (RB) at a latitude of 29°17'10.03''N and longitude of 79°32'49.19''E at 580m asl were established. Ammonification, nitrification and Nmineralization rates were significantly (p<0.05) affected by site, season, soil depth and their interactions. Total inorganic -N and N-mineralization rates were significantly higher in FP site as compared to RB site. Higher mineralization rates were reported during the summer (7.30±0.17 μg g-1 month-1 and 6.17±0.27 μg g-1 month-1 in FP and RB site, respectively) and lowest rates during the winter season (2.10±0.17 μg g-1 month-1 ) in FP and (1.78±0.18 μg g-1 month-1 in RB site). The variability in mineralization rates may be due to the ecological differences among the sites. Seasons and soil nitrogen content showed positive correlation with Nmineralization rates while site, clay content and C/N ratio showed negative correlation. The soil Nmineralization affects the N release and availability of inorganic-N for supporting the plant growth, thus regulates the N- cycling in forest ecosystems.