SKINNED ALIVE

Pruning of timber tree species harms both the quality and quantity of wood, and needs to be checked immediately

- R SUNDARARAJ

1(a)

THE SOUTHERN states of the country are major producers of valuable, wood-yielding trees such as sandalwood and teak. Production of sandalwood, in particular, saw a rise in the early 2000s after states like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu allowed its cultivation on private agricultural land. Such species are highly profitable for growers—on average, a sandalwood farmer can earn up to 1 lakh from a tree just in 15 years, if kept in good health. However, in several cases it has been observed that the growers fail to get the desired profit as the trees grow weak and die prematurely.

Over the past decade, the Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST) in Bengaluru, under the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, has conducted an analysis of plantations in five states—Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It has found that the loss is because of the unnecessary pruning of the timber trees. .

1(b)