Expose rot in tree-felling

The uprooting of 11 yang na trees along highway 402 in Phangnga’s Takua Thung district may seem inconsequential, but the brazen and scandalous act demonstrates, at best, recklessness on the part of the Highways Department. At worst, it is intentional wrongdoing. The chief of the Forest Department launched an investigation after a public uproar over the tree-felling saga targeted his officials as well as those from the Highways Department and Forest Industry Organisation (FIO).

He also banned any sale of the chopped-up yang na while the investigation is underway.

Investigative reports by the Isra News Agency indicate foul play in the saga.

According to those reports, the highway officials asked for permission to fell 11 mature trees which they claimed “had been standing dead”, putting locals’ property and safety “at risk” during a storm.

The agencies tried to justify their brazen act with claims that locals who used the highway agreed with the felling because they recognised the trees were a hazard.

That should have been the end of the story, but misinformation was later detected. The Isra reports said the officials involved misidentified the doomed trees as sae, a type belonging to plant family Leguminosae which are of little value. Yang na, on the other hand, belong to the valuable Dipterocarpaceae family and are protected under the forest laws.

The uprooted trees were believed to be more than 100 years old.

When the facts were revealed, the officials attempted to excuse their dubious action by explaining, albeit unconvincingly, that it had stemmed from a misunderstanding. In other words, those involved in the felling, including tree experts from Phangnga’s forest department, were not able to differentiate between the two species. The casual explanation immediately raised eyebrows.

More importantly, the claims that the condemned trees were “standing dead”, and there was no other option but to bulldoze them from the ground, have been disputed by conservationists who produced photographs showing healthy looking specimens that should have been spared the chainsaw. They insisted that the trees, if properly looked after, would have lived longer.

The sad fact is that most highway officials don’t think it’s their responsibility to preserve the environment, and will instead cut swaths through valuable flora to construct or extend roads. Felling is often seen as the only option.

Such a mindset is truly disappointing.

The same fate recently befell yang na trees along the Chiang Mai-Lamphun route. Again, the move sparked public anger. The trees were felled early this year because local officials insisted they “were standing dead and too dangerous to keep”. Their claims seemed convincing, until conservationists and arborists spoke up against careless road construction that had sacrificed preservation to development and resulted in the destruction of a valuable natural resource.

The Forest Department cannot afford to ignore public anger by letting the case fizzle out without holding anyone accountable. There are precious lessons to be learned from this scandal.

The sad fact is that most highway officials don’t think it’s their responsibility to preserve the environment.