Netarhat Palamu Plateau Sal Forest Ecology Jharkhand

Netarhat in Latehar district Jharkhand is the Roof of Jharkhand, a 3700-foot plateau famous for sunrise and sunset views over unbroken Sal (Shorea robusta) forest stretching into Palamu and Chhattisgarh. The Netarhat plateau is biologically rich — sal forest supports the tribal economies of Oraon, Munda, and Ho communities through NTFP collection including mahua flower, Sal seed (used for butter), tendu leaf, hirra (Terminalia chebula), and wild mushroom. Cooperative NTFP collectors under Jharkhand Van Suraksha Samiti permits harvest controlled quantities of forest produce for processing and marketing through tribal cooperative federation. Sal Butter (extracted from sal seed kernels) is sold as a cocoa-butter substitute to chocolate manufacturers. Netarhat also has a residential school cooperative model established in 1954 serving tribal Oraon and Ho students from remote forest villages under state scholarship.