APPSC Forest Conservative Officer Examination Syllabus Preliminary & Mains

Part-A

 GENERAL STUDIES & MENTAL ABILITY

i. General Science – Contemporary developments in Science and Technology and

their implications including matters of every day observation and experience, as

may be expected of a well-educated person who has not made a special study

of any scientific discipline.

ii. Current events of national and international importance.

iii. History of India – emphasis will be on broad general understanding of the subject

in its social, economic, cultural and political aspects with a focus on AP Indian

National  Movement.

iv. World Geography and Geography of India with a focus on AP.

v. Indian polity and Economy – including the country’s political system- rural

development – Planning and economic reforms in India.

vi. Mental Ability – Reasoning & Inferences.

vii. Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection

viii. Disaster Management (Source : CBSE Publications)

 Concepts in disaster management and vulnerability profile of India / State of A.P.

 Earth quakes / Cyclones / Tsunami / Floods / Drought – causes and effects.

 Man made disasters - Prevention strategies.

 Mitigation strategies / Mitigation measures

MATHEMATICS (SSC Standard)

i. ARITHMETIC:

 Number System-Natural numbers, Integers, Rational and Real numbers,

Fundamental operations, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, Square roots,

Decimal fractions.Unitary method-time and distance, time and work, percentages, applications to

simple and compound interest, profit and loss, ratio and proportion, variation.

Elementary  Number Theory – Division algorithm. Prime  and composite numbers. Tests

of divisibility by 2,3,4,5,9 and 11. Multiples and factors. Factorisation Thorem. H.C.F.

and L.C.M. Euclidean algorithm. Logarithms to base 10, laws of logarithms, use of

logarithmic tables.

ii. ALGEBRA:

Basic Operations, simple factors, Remainder Theorem, H.C.F., L.C.M. Theory

of polynomials, solutions of quadratic equations, relation between its roots and

coefficients (Only real roots to be considered). Simultaneous linear equations in two

un knowns – analytical and Graphical solutions. Simultaneous linear in equations in two

variables and their solutions. Practical problems leading to two simultaneous linear

equations or inequations in two variables or quadratic equations in one variable and

their solutions. Set language and set notation, Rational expressions and conditional

identities, laws of indices.

iii. TRIGONOMETRY:

Sine x, Cosine x, Tangent x when Oo = x = 90o values of sin x, cos x and

tan x, for x= Oo , 30o, 45o, 60o and90o.

Simple trigonometric identities. Use of trigonometric tables.

Simple  cases  of heights and distances.

iv. GEOMETRY:

 Lines and angles, Plane and plane figures, Theorems on (i) Properties of

angles at a point, (ii) Parallel lines, (iii) Sides and angles of a triangle, (iv) Congruency

of triangles, (v) Similar triangles, (vi) Concurrence of medians and altitudes, (vii)

Properties of angles, sides and diagonals of a parallelogram, rectangle and square,

(viii) Circles and its properties including tangents and normals, (ix) Loci.

v. MENSURATION: 

Areas of squares, rectangles, parallelograms, triangle and circle. Areas

of figures which can be split up into these figures (Field Book), Surface area and

volume of cuboids, lateral surface and volume of right circular cones and cylinders,

surface area and volume of spheres.

vi. STATISTICS:

Collection and tabulation of statistical data, Graphical representation

frequency polygons, histograms, bar charts, pie charts etc. Measures of central

tendency.

Part-B

GENERAL FORESTRY

1. Plant Science:

Structure and function of plant forms from evolutionary aspects (viruses to

Angiosperms including fossils. Principles of nomenclature, classification and identification of

plants. Plant Taxonomy. Recent classification of living organism into three groups (bacteria,

archaea and eukarya). Vegetative, asexual and sexual methods of reproduction. Pollination

and fertilization. Sexual incompatibility. Development, structure, dormancy and germination

of seed. Plant Diseases, Factors affecting infections, Chemical, biological and genetic

methods of disease control (including transgenic plants). Ecological adaptation. Types of

vegetational zones and forests of India. Deforestation, afforestation, Wasteland reclamation.

2. Plant Varieties:

Origin, importance, export potential, varieties, climate, soil requirements,

propagation and planting and after care,

3. Biodiversity & its conservation:

 Introduction — Definition: genetic, species and ecosystem

diversity, Biogeographical classification of India, Value of biodiversity, Biodiversity at global,

National and local levels, India as a mega-diversity nation, Hot-spots of biodiversity, Threats to

biodiversity: habitat loss, poaching of wildlife, man-wildlife conflicts, Endangered and endemic

species of India, Conservation of biodiversity: In-situ and Ex-situ conservation of biodiversity.

Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD).

4. Agriculture:

Principles of plant physiology with reference to plant nutrition, absorption,

transactions and metabolism of nutrients. Diagnosis of nutrient deficiencies and their

amelioration photosynthesis and respiration, growth and development, auxins and hormones in

plant growth. Development of hybrids, composites and synthetic, important varieties, hybrids,

composites and synthetic of major crops. Seeds and seed production techniques. Principles of

economics as applied to agriculture. Farm planning and optimum resource-use efficiency and

maximizing income and employment. Farm systems and their spatial distribution, their

significant roles in regional economic development.

 Agronomy, Agricultural Extension, Dairy Engineering, Land development machinery.

5. Horticulture Science:

Importance of horticulture in terms of economy, production, employment

generation, environmental protection and human resource development. Nutritional value of

horticultural crops. Divisions of horticulture and their importance.

a) Temperature, light, humidity, rainfall and soil requirements for horticultural crops.

 Selection of site for establishing an orchard, orchard plan, systems of planting.

Establishment of an orchard. Objectives of orchard management culture, different

 methods of orchard culture. Pruning and training — objectives, methods and effects.

b) Nutrition of horticultural crops — assessment of nutritional requirements,

 Identification of deficiency symptoms, methods of nutrient application. Assessment of

 irrigation requirements for different horticultural crops, irrigation methods.

c) Flower bud initiation and formation. Factors affecting them, environmental influences,

 chemical, nutritional management practices. Pollination and fruit set, problems and

 requirements, flower and fruit drop, Unfruitfulness.

6. Plant Propagation

a) Principles and classification of plant propagation methods.

b) Sexual propagation and its importance. Factors affecting germination and

 pregermination treatments.

c) Sexual propagation and it's importance. Propagation of plants by cuttage,

 factors affecting regeneration of plants from cuttings. Types of cuttings,

 propagation by layerage. Factors affecting regeneration of plants by layerage.

 Methods of layerage.

d) Propagation by grafting, importance of graftage. Factors for successful

 grafting., Selection of rootstock and scion. Methods of budding and grafting

 Rootstocks. Stock scion relations.

 7. Green House Production

 a) Importance and scope, production of crops in greenhouse. Status and

 development of greenhouse production of crops. Establishing a greenhouse.

Greenhouse and related structures location, types, size and arrangement.

b) Control of environmental factors influencing the growth.

C) Preparation of growing media requirement and its management at different stages

 of crop growth. Management of nutrients.

8. Soil Science:

 Types of soil, field identification and classification; Forest soils,

classification, factors affecting soil formation; physical, chemical and biological

properties; phase relationships, consistency limits, particle size distribution,

classification of soil structure and clay mineralogy, Capillary water and structural

water, effective stress and pore water pressure, Permeability, Seepage pressure,

quick sand condition, compressibility and consolidation; Soil conservation —

definition, causes for erosion, types — wind and water erosion; conservation and

management of eroded soils/areas, wind breaks, shelter belts; sand dunes;

reclamation of saline and alkaline soils, water logged and other waste lands. Role

of forests in conserving soils.

9. Geology:

Primary and secondary structures. Dip and strike of beds. Unconformities.

Study of folds, joints, faults, foliation and lineations. Overthrusts and nappe structures.

Stages of rock deformation. Construction of block diagrams, Stereographic and equalarea nets. Solutions of simple problems by stereographic net. Topographic maps and

their interpretation. Use of clinometer compass in the field Measurements of bed,

foliation, folds joints, faults and lineations in the field. Principles of geological mapping.

Effects of topography on outcrops.

10. Water Resource Management:

Surface and subsurface water resources, predicting

demand for water, impurities of water and their significance, physical, chemical and

bacteriological analysis, water borne diseases, standards for potable water. Pumping

and gravity schemes, water treatment; Storage and balancing reservoir types,

location and capacity. Distribution systems.

11. Watershed Management:

Concepts of watershed; role of mini-forests and forest trees in

overall resource management, forest hydrology, watershed development in respect of

torrent control, river channel stabilization, rehabilitation Casuarina equisetifolia, Dalbergia sisoo, Dipterocarpus spp., Embl!ca officinalls,Eucalyptus spp, Gmelina arborea, Hardwickia binata, Lagerstoremia lanceolata,

Pterocarpus marsupium, Prosepis juliflora, Santalum album, Semi-carpus anacardium,

Salmalia malabaricum, Tectona grandis, Terminalia tomentosa, Tamarindus indica.

13. Agro-forestry, Social Forestry, Joint Forest Management:

Agroforestry: scope and necessity; role in the life of people and domestic animals and in integrated land use,planning especially related to soil and water conservation, water recharge, nutrient

availability to crops, nature and eco-system preservation including ecological

balances through pest- predator relationships and providing opportunities for

enhancing biodiversity, medicinal and other flora and fauna. Agro forestry systems

under different agro-ecological zones, selection of species and role of multipurpose

trees and NTFPs, techniques, food, fodder and fuel security. Research and Extension

needs. Social/Urban Forestry: objectives, scope and necessity; JFM — principles,

objectives, methodology, scope, benefits and role of NGOs.

14. Farm, Agri & Forest Power Tools & Machinery:

Types, Uses, maintenance and

 safety measures.

15. Ecosystems & Wildlife:

Concept of an ecosystem, Structure and function of an

ecosystem, Producers, consumers and decomposers, Energy flow in the ecosystem,

Ecological succession, Food chains, food webs and ecological pyramids, Introduction,

types, characteristic features, structure and function of the following ecosystem: Forest

ecosystem, Grassland ecosystem, Desert ecosystem, Aquatic ecosystems (ponds,

streams, lakes, rivers, oceans, estuaries), Wildlife of India; endangered species of India;

sanctuaries and national parks of India, Biological rhythms.

16. Forest Protection And Wildlife Biology:

Injuries to forest — abiotic and biotic destructive

 agencies, insect — pests and disease, effects of air pollution on forests and forest die

 back. Susceptibility of forests to damage, nature of damage, cause, prevention,

 protective measures and benefits due to chemical and biological control. General

 forest protection against fire, equipment and methods, controlled use of fire,

 economic and environmental costs; timber salvage operations after natural disasters.

 Role of afforestation and forest regeneration in absorption of CO2. Rotational and

 controlled grazing, different methods of control against grazing and browsing animals;

 effect of wild animals on forest regeneration, human impacts; encroachment,

 poaching, grazing live fencing, theft, shifting cultivation and control.

17. Genetics and Breeding:

Principle of genetics, chemical nature of DNA and RNA and

 their models and functions. Recombinant DNA technology, transgenic animals,

 multiple ovulation and embryo-transfer. Cytogenetics, immunogenetics and

 biochemical polymorphic and their application in animal improvement. Gene actions.

 Systems and strategies for improvement of livestock for milk, meat, wool production

 and drought and poultry for eggs and meat. Breeding of animals for disease

 resistance. Breeds of livestock, poultry and rabbits.

18. Nutrition:

Role of nutrition in animal health and production. Classification of feeds,

 Proximate composition of feeds, feeding standards, computation of rations. Ruminant

 nutrition. Concepts of total digestible nutrients and starch equivalent systems.

 Significance of energy determinations. Conservation of feeds and fodder and utilization

 of agro by-products. Feed supplements and additives. Nutrition deficiencies and their

 management.

19. Veterinary Science:

(i) Major contagious diseases affecting cattle, buffaloes, horses,

 sheep and goats, pigs, poultry, rabbits and pet animals. Etiology, symptoms,

 pathogenicity, diagnosis, treatment and control of major bacterial, viral, rickettsial and

 parasitic infections. (ii) Description, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of the following:

a) Production diseases of milk animals, pig and poultry.

b) Deficiency diseases of domestic livestock and birds

c) Poisonings due to infected/contaminated foods and feeds, chemicals and drugs.

20. Economic Zoology:

Beneficial and harmful insects including insect vectors of human

 diseases, Industrial fish, prawn and molluscs of India, Non-poisonous and poisonous snakes

 of India, Venomous animals-centipede, wasp, honey bee, Diseases caused by aberrant

 chromosomes/genes in man; genetic counseling; DNA as a tool for forensic investigation.

 21. Forest Economics, Legislation & Administration:

Forest economics — fundamental

 principles, cost-benefit analysis; estimation of demand and supply; role of private

 sector and cooperatives; role of corporate financing. Forest in Concurrent List, Forest

Laws: Indian Forest Act, AP Forest Act & Rules, Wildlife Protection Act, Forest

 Conservation Act, Administration: Indian Forest Services, AP State Forest Services, AP

 State Forest Subordinate Services, AP Forest Department-Its structure and activities.

22. Sampling Theory:

Complete enumeration vs. sampling, need for sampling, basic

concepts in sampling, designing large-scale sample surveys, sampling and nonsampling errors, simple random sampling, properties of a good estimator, estimation of

sample size, stratified random sampling, systematic sampling cluster sampling, ratio and

regression methods of estimation ender simple and stratified random sampling.

23. Forest Mensuration, Remote Sensing and Forest Working Plan:

Methods of measuring —

diameter, girth, height and volume of trees; form-factor; volume estimation of stand,

current annual increment; mean annual increment, Yield calculation, yield and stand

tables: forest cover monitoring through remote sensing; Geographic information

Systems for management and modeling; Forest planning, evaluation and monitoring

tools and approaches for integrated planning; multipurpose development of forest

resources and forest industries development; working plans. Annual Plant of

Operations.

24. Renewable and non-renewable resources:

Natural resources and associated problems.

a) Forest resources: Use and over-exploitation, deforestation, case studies.

 Timber extraction, mining, dams and their effects on forests and tribal people.

b) Water resources: Use and over-utilization of surface and ground water, floods,

 drought, conflicts over water, dams-benefits and problems.

c) Mineral resources: Use and exploitation, environmental effects of extracting

 and using mineral resources.

d) Food resources: World food problems, changes caused by agriculture and

 overgrazing, effects of modern agriculture, fertilizer-pesticide problems, water

 logging, salinity.

e) Energy resources: Growing energy needs, renewable and non renewable

 energy sources, use of alternate energy sources.

f) Land resources: Land as a resource, land degradation, man induced

 landslides, soil erosion and desertification.

25. Environmental Sciences:

Definition, scope and importance, Need for public awareness,

Environmental Pollution: Definition, Causes, effects and control measures of Air

pollution, Water pollution, Soil pollution, Marine pollution, Noise pollution, Thermal

pollution &Nuclear hazards. Solid waste Management: Causes, effects and control

measures of urban and industrial wastes. Social Issues and the Environment: From

Unsustainable to Sustainable development. Urban problems related to energy, Water

conservation, rain water harvesting, Resettlement and rehabilitation of people; its

problems and concerns, Environmental ethics: Issues and possible solutions, Climate

change, global warming, acid rain, ozone layer depletion, nuclear accidents and

holocaust, Wasteland reclamation, Consumerism and waste products, Environment

Protection Act, Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, Water (Prevention and

control of Pollution) Act, APWALTA.

26. Transportation Techniques:

Highway alignment, choice of layout and capacity of highways,

location survey, geometric design of highways-various elements, curves, grade separation

and segregation of traffic, inter-section design, highway materials and testing subgrade

and pavement components, type of pavements, road drainage.

27. Project Management: 

Elements and principles of Activity on Arrow (AOA) and Activity on

Node (AON) networks and work breakdown structure. Interfaces. Ladder networks. Activity

time. Time computations and works. ATC and PTC trade-off. Work study and sampling.

Scheduling principles-material schedules. ABC and EOQ analysis of inventory. Budgeting

with bar-charts. Working capital. PERT, probability of completion.

Elements of Engineering Economics, methods of appraisal, present worth, annual cost,

benefit-cost, incremental analysis. Economy of scale and size. Choosing between

alternatives including levels of investments. Project profitability.

28. Communications :

Analog communications-AM, FM, PM modulations-Power requirements

— Transmitters — Receivers — Ground wave propagation- Sky and Space propagation.

Digital communications — Pulse modulations — Delta modulation, multiplexing, multiple

access, Antennas, wave guides, Basics of satellite communications, optical

communications. Wireless Communications, Walkie-Talkie, HAM Radio.