There has been a considerable spurt in tree felling for a decade after the Kerala Promotion of Tree Growth in Non-Forest Areas Act 2005 and its amendment in 2007 were passed in the State.
The Act allows the owner of the land or trees to cut and remove 28 tree species (see infographic) without the permission of the authorities. Large areas under cardamom plantations in Peerumade taluk were cleared of trees, including some endemic species such as Aranamaram , after the Act was passed. Peerumade taluk with large cardamom plantations does not come under the Cardamom Hill Reserve (CHR) area and it was not specifically mentioned in the Act.
According to a senior official of the Forest Department, the cardamom cultivated areas were the worst affected and there was no replanting of the saplings, which affected the green cover and biodiversity of trees there. As per the Act, every owner of non-forestland shall have the right to cut and transport a few tree species (see infographic). The Act also says it shall not apply to trees reserved by the government at the time of assignment of such land or trees notified under Section 5 of the Kerala Preservation of Trees Act, 1986.
Though the Act was meant for promotion of tree growth in non-forest areas to increase the green cover and biodiversity of plants, it served to do the opposite with no initiative by individuals in planting the saplings and protecting them as proposed. There was large-scale removal of timber from the non-forest areas on the pretext of the Act and even the CHR was not exempted by the timber mafia, the official said. The modus operandi was to cut the trees from the CHR during night and remove them to non-CHR areas. A simple pass would allow the timber to be transported to any other place. This practice was carried on for a decade in the CHR without any intervention by the authorities concerned, leading to the loss of tree cover there. Large-scale cultivation of the highly productive cardamom species, which requires only minimum tree shade, prompted the action of large-scale tree-felling even in the CHR, which was exempted from tree felling under the Act.
As per the rule, the CHR is under dual control of the Forest and Revenue departments. Though the rights over the land is with the Revenue Department, the trees are under the ownership of the Forest Department. Though in rule, the permission of the Forest Department was required for cutting even the tree shade, it was normally not followed in the CHR. Though the dead trees were allowed to be removed from the CHR, artificial methods like chemical injection to dry up the large trees in CHR were reported in Udumbanchola taluk too, the main CHR area, Once a tree is lost in the CHR, it is lost forever as there is no replanting done unlike those in the public places. This was the reason for the loss of many trees endemic to the Western Ghats in the CHR, the official said.
