<p>The Institute’s rationale: It had already lost the coveted trees to marauding smugglers and doesn’t want to lose any more!<br /><br />The Institute housed the City’s biggest and last of the mature sandalwood, which earned it the sobriquet “Institute of Sandalwood.” <br /><br />That will soon be a thing of the past. “This place had a good germ plasm collection of sandalwood. Even today, the trees can be protected if adequate security is provided,” noted an expert from the University of Agriculture Sciences, Bangalore, on condition of anonymity.<br />Most trees on the IWST campus are 40 years or older, mature enough to yield good heart wood. But taking into account the threat from smugglers, the institute chose to chop down many of them. <br /><br />“We had several incidents of theft and there was no other option left than harvest them. We have permission from the Forest Department,” an IWST source said. A senior forest official confirmed that the institute had been felling the sandalwood only after obtaining permission.<br /><br />Appu Rao, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Bangalore Urban, said the institute was permitted to fell a few more trees and transport them, on December 5. The institute still has about 40 mature trees, all protected with thick guard grills of iron. In the wake of sandalwood smuggling reported across the City, the Forest Department decided in 2009 to fence the trees with iron grill up to 10 feet high, so that the trees could not be cut down or uprooted. <br /><br />“Despite the measure, some trees were chopped down and smuggled out,” sources said. The Institute has started planting saplings to replace the old and mature trees. “We planted 100 saplings last year. Fifty more will be planted this year,” said an official. The Institute director, S C Joshi was not available for comment.</p>
<p>The Institute’s rationale: It had already lost the coveted trees to marauding smugglers and doesn’t want to lose any more!<br /><br />The Institute housed the City’s biggest and last of the mature sandalwood, which earned it the sobriquet “Institute of Sandalwood.” <br /><br />That will soon be a thing of the past. “This place had a good germ plasm collection of sandalwood. Even today, the trees can be protected if adequate security is provided,” noted an expert from the University of Agriculture Sciences, Bangalore, on condition of anonymity.<br />Most trees on the IWST campus are 40 years or older, mature enough to yield good heart wood. But taking into account the threat from smugglers, the institute chose to chop down many of them. <br /><br />“We had several incidents of theft and there was no other option left than harvest them. We have permission from the Forest Department,” an IWST source said. A senior forest official confirmed that the institute had been felling the sandalwood only after obtaining permission.<br /><br />Appu Rao, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Bangalore Urban, said the institute was permitted to fell a few more trees and transport them, on December 5. The institute still has about 40 mature trees, all protected with thick guard grills of iron. In the wake of sandalwood smuggling reported across the City, the Forest Department decided in 2009 to fence the trees with iron grill up to 10 feet high, so that the trees could not be cut down or uprooted. <br /><br />“Despite the measure, some trees were chopped down and smuggled out,” sources said. The Institute has started planting saplings to replace the old and mature trees. “We planted 100 saplings last year. Fifty more will be planted this year,” said an official. The Institute director, S C Joshi was not available for comment.</p>
