‘Lift ban on tree felling above 1000 metres to avert forest fire’

The Forest Research Institute (FRI) has suggested lifting a ban on felling trees such as pines and other conifers growing at an altitude of above 1,000 metres in Uttarakhand as these are prone to forest fires and affect the eco-system.

The Dehradun-based institute made the suggestion after a study from 2016 to 2018, saying revoking the restriction would help India’s achieve its target of adding around 3 billion tonnes of carbon stock by 2030 in accordance with the Paris climate change agreement. The study was conducted after the Uttarakhand government persuaded the Union forest and environment ministry to lift the ban on felling trees above 1000m that was enforced under the forest conservation act of 1980.

The Union ministry rejected the proposal in 2015, prompting chief minister TS Rawat to push the case again in November last year with Union forest minister Harsh Vardhan.

The government in the Himalayan state argued that pine trees cause wildfires during the dry summer months and cause extensive damage to the ecology and biodiversity of the hilly terrain.

To bolster the state’s case with scientific specifics, the two-year study was conducted. The scientists suggested that clearing pine trees and planting a variety of trees will add to the carbon stock — the amount of carbon stored in the forest ecosystem, mainly in living biomass and soil.

DEHRADUN:

Restock forest above 1000mt for better carbon stock

Pine trees block regeneration Forest fire

No necessary actions of weedings, control burning has impacted vegetation

Wood production reduced No dense forest achieved through the ban