Ministry Allows Conditional Felling Of Sal Trees

The environment and forests ministry yesterday revised its directive on the ban on felling of borer disease-affected sal trees in Madhya Pradesh to allow the hacking of only dead trees. The ministry, however, said that the debris should be removed from the site before the onset of monsoon.

In a letter to the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh yesterday, environment minister Saifuddin Soz urged the state government to ensure that along with the trees, other felled parts too are removed before the monsoon season sets in. The categories marked out for felling under the new directive are grades 1,2,3 and 6, that is, those that are `totally dead.

 

The ministrys decision is based on the report of the task force constituted by it to advise it on the matter. Earlier, pending the report of the task force, the ministry had advised the state government to impose a blanket ban on felling of the affected trees.

In view of the fact that a large number of trees have already been felled over the last two years and the danger of the disease spread persists, the task force has advised that the affected trees be moved to at least five km away from the forest fringe.

Under the new directive, trees falling under two other categories 2 and 4 which fall outside the protected areas and those located in the identified wildlife corridors can also be felled but only after the ministrys steering committees approval. The ministry has allowed the state government to invest the revenue accruing from the sale of timber of the felled trees in its forests and wildlife resources.