How not to celebrate Environment Day

Growing and harvesting trees for productive and economic uses are once again dead in the water

On this World Environment Day, let’s understand how we are not going green. I happened to visit areas around Bilaspur in Uttar Pradesh last fortnight. In the horizon, I could see fields of poplar trees, all waiting to be harvested. Farmers explained to me that the market for their tree crop had crashed. They did not know what to do. Some years ago, the price of poplar wood — used for making plywood, sports equipment, and matchsticks — was a good Rs 20,000 per tonne. Now it is not more than Rs 2,000 per tonne. “Each year, we hope something