A welcome retreat

The recent withdrawal of the amendment bill to the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act, 1976 (KPT Act) by the government, which would have allowed indiscriminate cutting down of some 50 tree species, came about under pressure from green NGOs but is perfectly welcome. Farmers prefer growing hebbevu, eucalyptus, Casuarina, silver oak, Acacia auriculiformis, shivane, teak, sandal, etc.

The first four of the above species are already on the exemption list. The current proposal of the Forest department for inclusion in the exemption list includes Acacia auriculiformis, Kakke, Gulmohar, Peltoform, Raintree, Christmas tree, orange tree, Purple Bauhinia, mulberry, curry leaf, drumstick, Simaruba glauca, African tulip, tabebuia, Tecoma, Indian cork tree (Mellingtonia), etc.

Granting exemption on Gulmohar, Peltoform, Raintree, Purple Bauhinia, Tabebuia, Tecoma would lead to destruction of trees from urban areas. Thankfully, withdrawal of the exemption proposal does not hurt farmers as these are not their preferred species.

Acacia auriculiformis was the main species of forest plantations for more than three decades. Now, the planting is banned in some areas, yet its exemption may induce smuggling from older plantations. It is understood that the plantations are to be protected by the department, then why not include other species like teak, etc., on the exemption list?

When KPT Act was legislated in 1976, Casuarina and Hopea wightina were in the exemption list. Other species required permission. But, for nine districts, namely Chikkamagaluru, Chamrajnagar, Dakshin Kannada, Hassan, Kodagu, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Udupi, Uttar Kannada, felling permission is not needed for any species except sandalwood and rosewood.

Even in these districts, tree-owners had provision for domestic consumption. People were harassed in the districts by Revenue and Forest officers. In 1987, the Act was amended to include Coconut, Erythrina, Eucalyptus, Glyrecidia, Prosopis, Rubber, Sesbania and Silver oak in the exemption list.

There were difficulties in protecting exempted species in the forests, yet the amendment was not retracted. The red tape in the lower bureaucracy continued to harass tree-owners for several other species. By another amendment in 2015, the exemption list was extended to subabul, areca nut, coffee, guava, hebbevu, Ailenthus excelsa, lemon, Maeopsis eminni, mango, sapota, Dendracalamus stocksii, Burma bamboo, Yellow bamboo, Acacia mangium, Acacia hybrid, Balangi and Cashew.

Exemption for mango and Balangi posed a serious threat to forest conservation in the Western Ghat areas. Huge mango trees growing on water courses in the forests were illicitly cut away, sometimes with the connivance of the officers. Many varieties of mango disappeared.

The loss of these trees from water courses can deplete water flow in the tributaries of major rivers. The Karnataka High Court removed the exemption on mango trees. The exemption of other species did not bring any negative impact on the conservation of forests.

To popularise farm forestry, Karnataka took some interesting initiatives. Krishi Aranya Protsah Yojane (KAPY) was launched in 2011, where tree-growers were paid an incentive for successfully growing plants for three continuous years. The initiative has picked up well.

The recently published Forest Survey of India (FSI) report confirms that the state's forest cover has gone up from 36,449 sqkm to 37,550 sqkm in two years. The cover in recorded forests, Revenue and Paisary lands has gone up by 359 sqkm. However, in private wooded areas, coffee estates, and coconut and areca nut gardens, it has increased by 742 sqkm, but the assessment has not separated the contributions of forests and horticultural plants. Tree groves below one hectare and strip plantations are also assessed by FSI, where tree-cover is found to have increased from 5,552 sqkm to 5,713 sqkm in the same period.

The assessment is based on satellite imagery of October 2016. Assuming that five years' growth is necessary for a signature to be picked up in satellite imagery, the increase, if any, can be attributed to plantations raised prior to 2012, and not due to the impact of KAPY and exempting additional species from KTP Act.

Mixed findings

FSI has also brought out the district-wise status of forests. It is heartening to note that the tree-cover in all dry districts has gone up, and horticultural plantations have also contributed. The success of the forestry programme in dry districts can be attributed to the fact that these districts are not covered under KPT Act and the movement of growing trees has picked up well.

Further, there is a disturbing trend of forest cover in Malnad districts like Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Mysuru and Shivamogga having decreased. This is the negative impact of KPT Act, as some of the exempted species have been illicitly removed from forests. The forests in these districts must be preserved as these are the catchments of many important rivers. Kodagu is a hilly district extending over 4,102 sqkm, of which only 1,700 sqkm is recorded forests. The vegetation on private land is equally important in the catchment of Cauvery river. The KPT Act has played havoc there in the past. It is time to suspend felling of naturally-growing trees on private lands in Kodagu.

Forests are the 'mothers' of several rivers, and the KPT Act is important for conservation. At the same time, growing trees on private lands must be encouraged and authorities must be held accountable for any laxity in dealing with cases under KPT Act. Bureaucratic hurdles are man-made, which must be dealt with severely.

Prime Minister Modi's vision is to double farmers' incomes by 2022. Among other things, he has been talking about soil testing, easy availability of neem-coated urea to reduce costs and growing tree species on the periphery of farmlands as well as bee-keeping to boost incomes. We have been importing wood for quite some time for our domestic consumption. The only way to save the foreign exchange is to grow our wood requirement indigenously.

(The writer is a former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Karnataka)