Forest department to clampdown on criminals using ‘girdling’ technique to kill forest trees in Gudalur 

Conservationists alarmed by increasing tree killings in Gudalur division, call for action against illegal timber smuggling using "girdling" technique.

Conservationists and the Forest Department are becoming increasingly alarmed at the number of trees being targeted by criminals in the Gudalur division using a technique known as “girdling” - to kill forest trees before smuggling them across the border into neighbouring States.

“Girdling” or ring-barking is characterised by the removal of the bark around the “collar” of a tree, leading to its eventual death over a period of time, said a conservationist from the Nilgiris, who alleged that estates in the region were using the technique to gain cutting permissions to remove valuable timber and native flora from the landscape, by first killing off the tree.

“Permissions for removing these trees are often rubber-stamped by officials from the Revenue Department if the estate provides some evidence that the tree is dead or if it posed a risk to human life,” said the conservationist, who called on the Nilgiris district administration to order a review into recent cutting permissions granted in the Nilgiris by the Revenue Department, and to ensure that trees, particularly native forest trees, are not targeted with ring-barking techniques in order for the timber to be smuggled out.

When contacted, Vengatesh Prabhu, Divisional Forest Officer (Gudalur division), said that he was aware of trees being killed using the “girdling” technique in Nadugani, Bitherkad and Cherambadi forest ranges. He said that trees are otherwise targeted by spraying poisonous chemicals near their roots as well, and added that this was an act of vandalism that the Forest Department was serious about clamping down on.

Mr. Prabhu said that cases have already been registered in two or three such instances, but added that the trees being targeted are usually “unclaimed” trees, located outside patta lands, near roads and in interior areas. He added that once the trees die, they are removed by criminals and sold for timber.

The Forest Department is training its field staff in the use of drones for not only mitigating negative human-animal interactions, but to also stop illegal tree felling, said Mr. Prabhu. The DFO added that the department is planning to purchase a drone at around ₹6 lakh that can be used to geo-tag valuable forest timber beginning this year. “Regular flying of the drones over the division will then allow us to identify locations from where the timber has been removed, so that we can quickly act to stop timber smugglers and criminals,” said Mr. Prabhu.