(Ann poshi teli yeli wann poshi") meaning 'Food will last as long as forests last! (Sheikh Noor ud-Din Noorani RA)

(Ann poshi teli yeli wann poshi") meaning 'Food will last as long as forests last!
(Sheikh Noor ud-Din Noorani RA)

January 27,2018:  The Government esp State Forest Corporation SFC  has been recklessly felling precious Devdar and Kail trees for timber for over thirty years at a stretch esp forest compartments like 33, 34, LDR from certain quarters, without adequate replacement. Given the fact that Devdar and Kail take over 150-200 years to grow back, the government needs to have a strong forest replenishment policy in place or places , with at least three trees of the same species being [planted for every tree fell, given the natural rate of biological growth of these species. The government, however, has been cutting down Devdar and Kail and planting Keekar and Far, whose biological and economic value is much less than the existing species of Dewdar and Kail. This attitude of the government . has massively damaged the forest cover in the state , and if this reckless and irresponsible felling of trees continues we stand the risk of losing  the natural biodiversity of the state esp in Himalayan region. The Himalayas are the largest fresh-water reserves in the world, second only to the glacier ice-caps and the bio-diversity and forest cover here, needs to be preserved for more than one reasons. Negligence in conservation of Himalayan Bio-diversity and the absence of a strong Forest policy puts us at great risk and peril that must be avoided at any cost.

Mushtaq Pahalgami,
Himalayan Welfare Organization-HWO

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