College of Forestry, Ponnampet

The College of Forestry, Ponnampet started in the year 1995 is one of the renowned constituent College set at Virajpet Taluk of Kodagu, Karnataka. This is a prestigious college for forestry situated in a very spacious 52 acre land. The college has been affiliated to the Indian Council for Agricultural Research ICAR and delivers a number of exclusive programs in the fields of forestry and allied sectors.

The college is purely of a regular type with 296 students in total and has 25 members in teaching faculty which also means that it has a good strength of faculty to students ratio providing more focused and proper education. Currently the institution provides four different programmes; an undergraduate course and a postgraduate course each in both forestry science and forestry management disciplines.

The two amenities provided at the College of Forestry, Ponnampet are detailed infrastructure and other facilities for improving students’ performance. The campus has appropriately stocked laboratories that offer practical session in several fields of forestry. A reading center provides books, local and foreign journals and other printed and electronic materials for reference.

To ensure a complete development of the students, the college has made available excellent sporting facilities and a modern gym. This will also include separate hostels for boys and girls, to provide suitable accommodation to out-station students.

Accommodation services Accommodation is provided for both the college students and other members of the college workforce within college-hosted facilities that include: health center: this is where first aid services are provided to the college community if and when the need arises. It has well developed IT facilities enabling smooth learning and research activities on the college.

Well balanced meals are available in a cafeteria on campus whereas guest accommodation facility for faculty and families of students is also present. The college has all together four full time course wherein one is undergraduate course and the other three courses under postgraduate level. Of the undergraduate programmes is the Bachelor of Forestry Science (B. F.

Sc) that takes four years to complete and offers broad knowledge on forestry. At the postgraduate level, the college offers three specialised M. Sc programmes: These main fields include Forestry Silviculture and Agroforestry, Forest Resource Management, and Forest Biology and Tree Improvement.

Consequently, each of the two-year programmes provides training for specialists in selected aspects of forestry science and management. As earlier noted, the College of Forestry, Ponnampet follows a clear admission procedure for each of its programme.

For example, for forestry management admission, the colleges do not give detailed information about the admission process, but it is normal for them to require students’ performance in the relevant subjects and the entrance exam.

The college probably has its own process for choosing the most appropriate candidates for admission into their specialised institution if and when the students show interest and passion for taking on forestry sciences.