Ban on felling trees goes unheeded

Despite ban imposed on cutting of trees nearly quarter of a century ago, systematic destruction of forest resources continues unabated across the country. Every year government launches afforestation programme amid fanfare which aims at boosting tree population and creating mass awareness about the importance of forest resources. Under the programme plants and saplings are distributed among the people. Undoubtedly it is a pious intention on the part of the government to enhance forest resources so vitally needed for the survival of the people in the backdrop of global warming and other serious environmental hazards threatening many countries of the world including Bangladesh.
In reality, what we witness everyday is far from sincere efforts to protect trees from destruction. Inactions and callousness on the part of the authorities concerned in respect of protecting trees from the greed of very influential quarters are not at all acceptable. In many cases, the authorities concerned undertake development projects on lands having many old trees at the site. They cut the trees while implementing the projects and sell those for personal gains. Thus the afforestation programme launched routinely has become meaningless. The programme can very well be linked to the episode of Sisyphus. Sisyphus, a king of Corinth, who, according to Greek mythology, was condemned forever to roll a stone up a hill in Hades only to have it roll down again on nearing the top. In other words, this act is nothing but a futile exercise and called a Sisyphean task after the king.
A report published in a local daily on November 3 last says that about 50 sawmills operating near the reserve forest at Mirzapur Upazila in Tangail are engaged in smuggling timber. In utter violation of law unscrupulous people with strong political backing have setup the sawmills within the forest area. The forest covers an area of about 450 acres of land in Bashtoli, Tarapur, Asgana and Latifpur unions in Mirzapur Upazila. As per law no sawmill can operate within a radius of 7 Kilometres of forest land. The sawmill owners, in connivance with a section of law enforcers and officials of forest department, press report says, are running the illegal timber business. The timber is smuggled out everyday resulting in loss of government revenue and damage to the ecology.  Valuable trees like Sal, Teak, Akshmoni, Eucalyptus, etc. grow abundantly in the forest. The reserve forest of Mirzapur is particularly famous for Sal trees which have high demand in the market. The sawmill owners plunder trees in the darkness of night. A senior forest official said the list of the illegal sawmills is being prepared and those will be closed down very soon. It is indeed surprising how the forest department is unaware of the sawmills operating in forest zone and can waste time for their closure.
On the other hand, organized gangs of loggers are engaged in cutting Sundari trees in the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world. Press reports say the gangs of loggers use country boats in larger numbers to carry away logs under the very nose of the forest department employees. The local people only watch their activities helplessly. The smugglers also use engine boats to carry Sundari timbers to local sawmills in the darkness of night to evade detection. The smuggling of timbers is now a booming business and the local people feel that if this illegal practice is not stopped forthwith the Sundarbans will lose substantial number of trees in no time. Sundari tree is the major plant of the forest. This constitutes 73% of the total trees in the Sundarbans. Quoting an unofficial estimate the press report says that the Sundarbans have 860 million Sundari trees. The life span of a Sundari tree is about 150 years. The tree becomes mature at the age of 40 years. In addition to the Sundari trees, Gewa is spread over 16% of the total forest area. The other trees including Passur, Garan, Keora, Dhudal, Kakra, Shimla, Golpata etc. also grow in the Sundarbans.
However, felling of valuable trees is not confined to illiterate bands of petty individuals alone. The educated section of the people is also involved in this evil practice. Cutting of valuable trees grown in the protected area of Charkai Range Forest Research Institute in Dinajpur was carried out openly with full knowledge of forest officials in the recent past. A large number of trees in the institute were smuggled out. The institute was set up for conducting research on forest resources in the northern region. But the objective has been frustrated due to activities of a section of greedy officials of forest department. In 1968, the Chittagong-based Bangladesh Forest Research Institute had set up this sub-research centre at Charkai on an area of about 200 acres of land. Local people tried to put up resistance against the   illegal felling of trees on the Institute premises but to no effect. Police sources said three cases were filed regarding 'missing' of 35 trees from the   protected area. But in fact hundreds of trees were cut in a planned way. Despite media coverage the timber traders and smugglers, in connivance with a section of dishonest forest officials, took away valuable Segun, Sal and Eucalyptus trees from the Charkai forest institute area. A forest official had told the media that they could not stop illegal cutting of trees due to shortage of manpower. Such admission by a responsible forest official only exposes the weakness of the authority to stop illegal cutting of trees. If this is the situation in a protected forest zone what is happening in unprotected areas is anybody's guess.
In coastal areas of Bangladesh felling of trees has assumed an alarming proportion. A large number of trees are being felled and sold to timber traders regularly which may cause serious ecological imbalance in the disaster-prone coastal belt.
We have cited these few examples, among innumerable others, to show how vulnerable our trees are at the hands of those who are supposed to protect the resources. It also bears testimony to the fact that mere extension of ban on felling trees will not yield good result. The prevailing situation demands sincerity and political will on the part of the government to conserve our dwindling forest resources.
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The writer is Consultant Editor of the Financial Express.
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