Tree felling goes reckless

Making a mockery of seasonal tree plantation drives, and more durable social or community forestry projects with a catchy slogan, 'plant two trees for one lost', trees have been and are being sawn off indiscriminately. Even a tree plantation programme with the assistance of World Food Programme (WFP) under an agreement with LGED at Awliapur union in Thakurgaon has not been spared.
It this particular case of procedural short-circuiting, local leaders of a social welfare organisation and sawmill owners ignored the rules bypassing the UNO, upazila forest department (to determine the maturity of trees and their value) and, finally, the DC's office which approves of auctioneering.
The lure of fast buck is so strong that all environmental concerns are bulldozed by vested quarters for sheer profiteering. In May last year, 500 trees were felled in Lalmonirhat by flouting terms of contract. Usually, powerful quarters in collusion with unscrupulous local administration carry out such misdeeds.
Trees have become a weapon of political agitation lately. Only in December last year and early January this year, several thousand trees have been cut down by Jamaat-Shibir elements to put up road barricades.
In this context, the authorities need to do stocktaking of the affected areas and vigorously plant trees to replace the lost ones, if not exceed them. As against the ideal 25 percent of the land under tree cover, we have only 8 percent -- the deficit will have to be reduced on a priority basis.