Indian Forest Services Exam

There are 3 All India Services of the Government of India. Indian Forest Services (IFoS) is one of them. The other 2 are Indian Administrative Services (IAS) and Indian Police Services (IPS). Indian Forest Services was constituted in 1966, by the Government Of India, under the All India Services Act, 1951.

The last name of IFS was Imperial Forest Services. The IFS civil service exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). An IFS officer is recruited for forestry services in India. The main work of IFS officers is to implement the National Forest Policy that intends to maintain ecological balance and secure environmental stability.

History of Indian Forest Services

In 1864, The British India Government started the Imperial Forest Department. In 1866, Dr. Dietrich Brandis was appointed as General of Forests. In 1867, Imperial Forest Services was constituted by the Imperial Forest Department to manage the natural resources of forests and to take care of other affairs of the Imperial Forest Department. For productive management of resources, the British Government further constituted other subordinate services. In 1965, the Forest Department was transferred to the Provinces of India under the Government of India Act, 1935. In 1966, the Indian Forest Services was constituted by the government of India under the All India Services Act, 1951.

Exam for Indian Forest Services:

• UPSC organizes the exam for Indian Forest Services. 
• It is an open competitive exam
• A candidate can apply for the Indian Forest Services exam through an application form released by UPSC.
•  It is an online application form, so a candidate needs to submit through online mode only. 
• Admit cards are released before 15 days of the exam. 
• This exam is held annually, and the vacancy fluctuates between 100 and 150. 
• The number of attempts to appear in the IFS exam is 6.
• To appear in the IFoS exam, a student must have done his bachelor’s degree in forestry, agriculture, or engineering from a recognized university or should hold any one subject from Veterinary Science, Botany, Physics, Animal Husbandry, Zoology, and Statistics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Geology.                          
• To become an IFoS officer, aspirants have to clear this examination. The process of IFoS selection includes three stages-

Preliminary examination, main examination, and Interview.

• An aspirant needs to appear in the preliminary exam and clear it to qualify for the second stage, which is the main examination. 
• If an aspirant has cleared the second phase, too, then he becomes eligible for the interview process.
• After the completion of all phases, a final result is out.
• After the selection process, candidates are sent to Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy for foundation training.
• After completing this training, students are sent to National Forest Academy, Dehradun, for special training.

The pattern of the Indian Forest Services Examination

The Indian Forest Services examination includes three papers.

Paper 1 – General English 

Paper 2 – General Knowledge

Paper 3 – Optional Subject 1

Paper 4 – Optional Subject 1

Paper 5 – Optional Subject 2

Paper 6 – Optional Subject 3

Two optional subjects are to be chosen by students from the list given below:

• Agriculture
• Agricultural Engineering
• Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
• Botany
• Chemistry 
• Chemical Engineering 
• Civil Engineering
• Forestry 
• Geology
• Mathematics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Physics
• Statistics
• Zoology

Eligibility Criteria For Indian Forest Services Examination

1. Nationality:-

A candidate must be a citizen of India, or the subject of Bhutan, Nepal or Tibetan who came to India Before 1st January 1962 or candidate must be of Indian Origin who has migrated from Burma, Uganda, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malawi,  Kenya, Zambia, Zaire, Vietnam and Ethiopia.

2. Physical Standards :- 

To get into Indian Forest Services, candidates should fulfill the physical fitness criteria set by the Indian Forest Department.

3. Age Limit:- 

The minimum age of candidates should be 21 years and the maximum age is 32 years for unreserversed students.

For Other Backward Classes (OBC), there is a relaxation of 3 years in age.

For Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST), there is an age relaxation of 5 years.

For Ex- servicemen, who have served for 5 years in Military Services, the age relaxation is of 5 years.

For Defence Services personnel, the relaxation is up to 3 years.

Role of Indian Forest Services Officer 

The most important work of an IFoS officer is to 

maintain and protect the legacy and heritage of the forest. They work to preserve the resources of forests. The other important job of IFoS officers is to save trees in forests. They take care of illegal cutting of trees and always stay alert. They work with forest guards to ensure the security of trees and forests.IFoS Officers plant trees in the forest and organize or participate in such occasions.Officers have to take care of other important resources of the forest too. They ensure the safety and security of animals by protecting them from illegal killing or hunting and restricting illegal entry into forest areas.Indian Forest Services officers are also responsible for the implementation of the National Forest Policy and take care of the legal exploitation of wood.They conduct surveys of forests on a regular basis. As an officer they guarantee that the whole work is done correctly. They have to submit their reports to the forest ministry and department.

Conclusion:

Forest covers 23.4 percent of the country’s area, and half of the population depends on forests for various natural resources. The great wealth of the country is managed by the IFos.

Hence the Indian Forest Services plays a vital role in strengthening the country’s economy and prosperity. IFos officers protect the most significant ecosystem of the world and save endangered species. In this article, we learned the various aspects of the Indian Forest Services, which is one of the most prestigious and valuable services in India. The main mandate of the service is to manage forest resources, trees, animals, and the environment.