Environmental organisations in Wayanad have sought a comprehensive investigation into the illegal felling of gigantic rosewood trees on private coffee estates on the Brahmagiri hill slopes in Thirunelly village and Chelode in the Kunnathidavaka village in the district.
Over 50 rosewood trees, nearly 500 years old, were axed on the Brahmagiri hill slopes alone with the alleged support of Revenue and Forest officials, N. Badusha, president, Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samithi, told The Hindu.
Low availability, restrictions on felling, and limited distribution have put rosewood ( Dalbergia latifolia) in the crosshairs of the timber mafia, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had included it in the Red List of Threatened Species in 1998, Mr. Badusha said.
The Supreme Court had announced a decade ago that all private estates in Thirunelly, formerly owned by British planters, were government land, and the court had issued a directive to vest it. Moreover, the government appointed a special officer for the purpose.
The court had also clarified that no one had the right to collect even dried wood or wood that fell in wind on the land. M.G. Rajamanickam, Special Officer and Collector for Government Land Resumption, had submitted a list of landed properties in the district to be vested around a decade ago but the succeeding governments failed to adopt any positive steps, he said.
Though Revenue officials were also well aware of the facts, they issued no-objection certificates to fell the trees on the estates, he alleged. Tree felling declined considerably in the district after the Muttil rosewood tree felling came to light, but the illegal felling of trees got momentum in the hill district again.
As the massive felling of trees would adversely affect climate in the district, an investigation into the issue was the need of the hour, he added.
