Una farmers oppose Forest Dept’s new tree felling norms

Farmers and forest contractors in Una district today staged a protest at the district headquarters against the new stringent norms imposed by the Forest Department on the sale of trees from private non-forest lands. They also submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner in this regard.

Sugriva Nand, Nambardar of Kotla Khurd village, who owns around 600 kanals of tree-covered land, said that fast-growing softwood species such as paper mulberry, locally known as toot, have invaded private holdings and grazing grounds. Within two to three years, these trees reach maturity and pose a threat to other valuable species, as paper mulberry tends to snap or uproot easily during strong winds.

“These trees need to be removed,” he said, adding that farmers already follow the due process to obtain permission from the Forest Department. The procedure includes verification of land ownership by the Patwari and Panchayat Pradhan, followed by inspection by the Forest Guard concerned.

However, on Thursday, the Una Forest Division issued new written orders requiring photographs of the standing trees along with the landowner and the Patwari to be attached to the application. After felling permission is granted, the Forest Guard must again take a photograph of the logs loaded onto the vehicle, with the landowner present, for record purposes.

A forest contractor said the process had become excessively cumbersome as it required the presence and availability of both the Patwari and the Panchayat Pradhan, who must travel into hilly areas for the photographs. He added that such a system was not in practice in any other district and should be reviewed immediately, as in the plains, non-timber species like paper mulberry have little value and need to be removed to allow other trees to flourish.

When contacted, Una Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sushil Rana said that the ownership of the trees being felled could only be confirmed if the Patwari and Panchayat Pradhan verified the details on the spot.

The DFO added that once the vehicle is loaded and photographed, forest officers can verify the timber being transported through flying squads. “The system has been put in place to check illegal felling and prevent banned forest produce from being transported outside the state,” he said.