The Una Forest Division has ordered a blanket ban on felling and transportation of all species of trees from forest or private land in the district, except for khair wood trees. The felling of khair wood trees is allowed in selected areas of the district under the 10-year felling plan.
Una Divisional Forest Officer Sushil Rana said of late the department had noted that the number of vehicles carrying timber and fuel wood from Himachal Pradesh to the neighbouring Punjab through inter-state borders in Una district had swelled considerably compared to the previous years.
He said it was also noticed that people who used to work as labourers with forest contractors were independently doing the same activities and many of them had owned new pickup vehicles to transport the forest produce.
Alarmed with the situation, the DFO said temporary ban on felling and transporting all types of wood had been imposed to break the chain of continued exodus of forest produce outside the state.
He said all felling and transporting permissions, previously granted to forest contractors or private land owners, had been withheld till further notice.
The DFO said even permission to farmers who were otherwise allowed to cut five trees from their private land every year for personal use had been withdrawn till further orders.
Rana said ‘paper mulberry’, locally known as ‘Japani toot’, had invaded forest and private lands to the extent that this fast growing species that had little use had covered forest canopy, preventing sunlight from reaching the ground. Consequently, he said, khair wood, sheesham, tuni and other valuable species were not able to survive, posing a great loss to the locals. He added that paper mulberry does not even allow grass to grow, thereby adversely affecting the wildlife.
The DFO said he had recommended to the department to allow year-round felling of paper mulberry trees in the district from private land so as to enable the forests to rejuvenate the flora and fauna and bring back biodiversity.
