Ban on green felling has hit regeneration: Ex-PCCF

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, December 9

Recommendations by the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee to study experimental silviculture in Himachal could pave the way for lifting of ban on green felling in the entire country with the committee submitting its report on the study and initiatives undertaken in three blocks of the state.

“It is for the Supreme Court to take a view on the issue but I have already submitted the first report to the apex court as directed,” revealed VP Mohan, a retired Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) who is the Chairman of the Monitoring Committee Dr Dr Bhardwaj being a Member. Mohan has been entrusted with the task of closely monitoring experimental silviculture felling in three ranges of Paonta Sahib in Sirmour (Sal), Bharari in Bilaspur (Chir) and Nurpur in Kangra (Khair) which could become the basis for replicating it elsewhere in the country.

A moratorium on felling of green trees was imposed in Himachal on March, 23, 1994 which is still in operation.

“In my personal opinion the ban on green felling imposed by Himachal has proved to be counter-productive as it hampered regeneration. Rejuvenation can be brought about through silvicluture felling,” said Mohan. He adds that the task assigned to him by the court was to suggest ways to bring back sound forest management practices and revive forests after a dormancy of 24 years.

Mohan has to submit four reports after every six months as per the SC directives on February 16, 2018. While he has already submitted the first report, he is working on the second report with extensive field surveys involving videography and complete enumeration. His recommendation that eucalyptus trees be felled and same area be regenerated with native broad leaved species has also been given nod by the SC.

However, throwing a word of caution he says that silviculutre felling can be done only under rigorous control and monitoring and only after a sound forest management regime is put in place. “It is a very exhaustive exercise which involves 100 per cent enumeration of every tree, including species identification and diameter recording along with putting up of boundary pillars, cleaning, thinning and salvage of dead, dry trees, controlled burning and creation of fire lines, removal of invasive species and weeds like lantana”.

He says the legal status of the forests must be entered into revenue record which has not been done so far in many parts of Himachal. “The strange part is that when the forests are not the property of the government then why should money be spent on them,” emphasised Mohan.

“The task assigned to me was to bring back sound forest management and protection which has totally disappeared over the years,” he revealed. He is of the firm opinion that forests need to be managed on ground and not from office tables.