Centre for Forestry and Environment

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The Research Centre for Forestry and Environment was established in 2016 to conduct high quality research projects in forestry and environment sectors by the academic members of the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science with the collaboration of the researchers in other departments of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and research institutes in Sri Lanka and other countries when necessary. The facilities given to the proposed centre are also used to further train the students of the Department at BSc, MSc, MPhil and PhD levels in high quality research. The uniqueness of this centre is the capability of bringing many researchers into a single team so that they can undertake the tasks which may not be able complete by one or two persons. Since the forestry and environment sectors cover a vast area facing immense problems at present, such collaboration is necessary to achieve better results which are useful for the betterment of the country.

Vision and Mission

The vision of the Research Centre for Forestry and Environment (CFE) of the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science is to be the leading academic organization to advance and facilitate high standards of research seeking for the solutions for the problems faced by forestry and environment sectors at regional, national and global scales. The mission of the CFE is to conduct research on forest and environmental problems facing the nation and world; to increase the knowledge dissemination; to enhance the status of the university by publishing the findings in high quality journals; to provide a mechanism whereby existing research capabilities in the department and university to be matched with funding sources; to contribute to the university’s graduate and undergraduate programs by involving students in research projects through assistantships and other work arrangements. As part of its mission, the Centre also recognizes the importance of combining expertise and capacities of multiple institutions, disciplines and professions in addressing complex problems.

Objectives

a. Conduct high quality research projects to solve the prevailing issues of the forestry and environment sectors in Sri Lanka

b. Contribute to the development of the nation by findings of the intended high quality researches

c. Publish the research findings in scientific journals including those listed in Science Citation Index to enhance the status of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura

d. Train the students at postgraduate and undergraduate levels for conducting high quality research

Director of the Centre

Dr. Upul Subasinghe  – Department of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Advisory Panel

  • Dr. Prasanthi Gunawardene (Head, Department of Forestry and Environmental Science)
  • Prof. H.S. Amarasekara – Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, University of Sri Jayewardenepura
  • Dr. N. Ruwanpathirana – State Timber Corporation
  • Mr. K.P. Ariyadasa – Former Conservator General, Forest Department
  • Mr. K.H. Muthukudaarachchi (Director General, Central Environmental Authority
  • Senior Assistant Bursar – Invited

Facilities Available

The CFE has been started in mid-2016 and currently it uses the laboratory and equipment facilities at the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science.

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Published in Journals of Science Citation Index

  1. Heartwood assessment of natural Santalum album populations for agroforestry development in Sri Lanka Subasinghe SMCUP1, Samarasekara SC1, Millaniyage KP1, Hettiarachchi DS2
  2. Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, University of Sri Jayewardenepura
  3. Wescorp Group of Companies, Western Australia

Agroforestry Systems, 2017(6): 1157-1164 (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-016-0001-5)IF: 1.17

  1. Inducement of agarwood resin formation in Gyrinops walla Gaertn using two fungal species Subasinghe SMCUP1, Hitihamu HID1, Fernando KMEP2
  2. Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, University of Sri Jayewardenepura
  3. Department of Botany, University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Journal of Forestry Research (Accepted May 2017)IF: 0.78

Submitted to Journals of Science Citation Index

  1. Resin characteristics of naturally formed agarwood resin from Gyrinops walla in Sri de Alwis WNH1, Subasinghe SMCUP1, Hettiarachchi DS2 (Submitted in June 2017)
  2. Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, University of Sri Jayewardenepura
  3. Wescorp Group of Companies, Western Australia

Journal: Industrial Crops and Products IF: 3.57

 Full Papers are being prepared for Journals of Science Citation Index

  1. Extraction of toxic metabolites from selected strains of Aspergillus niger and Fusarium solani as potential inoculants to induce agarwood formation in Gyrinops walla

Withange HP1, Subasinghe SMCUP1, Fernando THPS2

  1. Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, University of Sri Jayewardenepura
  2. Department of Plant Pathology, Rubber Research Institute

Target Journal: Journal of Forest Pathology

  1. Growth and physiological differences between Gyrinops walla grown under high light and low light conditions in low country wet zone of Sri Lanka

Lanka MPD1, Subasinghe SMCUP1, Senevirathna AMWK2, Nayanakantha NMC3

  1. Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, University of Sri Jayewardenepura
  2. Department of Export Agriculture, Uva Wellassa University
  3. Department of Plant Sciences, Rubber Research Institute Target Journal: Forest Ecology and Management
  4. Leaf oil distillation from three uncommon Eucalyptus species for industrial use

Medhavi SAY1, Subasinghe SMCUP1, Hettiarachchi DS2

  1. Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, University of Sri Jayewardenepura
  2. Wescorp Group of Companies, Western Australia

Target Journal: Agroforestry Systems

Published in Referred Journals

  1. Identification of vegetation change of Lower U Minh National Park of Vietnam from 1975 to 2015 (Annex IV)

Khanh, PT1, Subasinghe SMCUP2

  1. Department of Environment, University of An Giang, Long Xuyen city, Vietnam
  2. Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Journal of Tropical Forestry and Environment (Accepted May 2017)

Abstracts

  1. Subasinghe S.M.C.U.P., Withanage S.V., Fernando T.H.P.S. (2017) Impacts of selected fungal toxins on the inducement of agarwood in Gyrinops walla. Proceedings of 22nd International Forestry and Environment Symposium, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, p 55.
  2. de Alwis W.N.H., Subasinghe S.M.C.U.P., Hettiarachchi D.S. (2017) Variation of chemical compounds of naturally and artificially formed agarwood resins in Gyrinops walla. Proceedings of 22nd International Forestry and Environment Symposium, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, p 66.
  3. Vidurangi A.N.G.C.K., Subasinghe S.M.C.U.P., Fernando K.M.E.P. (2017) Isolation of associated fungal species in Aquilaria and Gyrinops species of family Thymelaeaceae. Proceedings of 22nd International Forestry and Environment Symposium, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, p 67 Kannangara D.N., Ranathunge R.M.T.B., Abeyewickreme W., Hapugoda M.D., Subasinghe S.M.C.U.P. (2017) Impacts of meteorological parameters on the abundance of malaria vector in Batticaloa District, Sri Lanka. Proceedings of 22nd International Forestry and Environment Symposium, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, p 79. Malithi R.A.P., Subasinghe S.M.C.U.P., Fernando T.H.P.S. (2017) Potential of making fungal toxins at commercial scale for agarwood inducement. Proceedings of 22nd International Forestry and Environment Symposium, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, p 68.
  4. Weerasinghe W.M.M., Subasinghe S.M.C.U.P., Hettiarachchi D.S. (2017) Variation of volatile oil contents and constituents in lesser known plant species for formulating mosquito repellents. Proceedings of 22nd International Forestry and Environment Symposium, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, p 69.
  5. Chandrathilake GGT, Tanaka N, Kamata N. (2016). Transpiration response of neighboring trees to the wilting of oak individuals prone to Japanese oak wilt disease. Proceedings of 62nd Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of Japan.

Conference Proceedings

None as full papers, but the abstracts mentioned in 2.2 above have been published as Conference Proceedings.

Book Chapters

  1. Fermented food and its consumption in Sri Lanka: Subasinghe, SMCUP. Fermented Foods and Beverages (Ed. P. Tamuli) Avishkar Publishers & Distributers, India (2017): 90-103 pp. (Annex XII)

 

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