It is estimated that for every new house or flat being constructed, a minimum of 100 cubic metres of timber is used
KOZHIKODE: The forest department with active participation by the public has been ushering in a silent revolution to improve the greenery in the state and fill the demand-supply gap in the timber industry. A project launched three years back offering financial aid to those who planted 10 different species of trees, which are used as timber in construction industry, has generated great interest among the people.
It is estimated that for every new house or flat being constructed, a minimum of 100 cubic metres of timber is used.
Last year, the Thiruvananthapuram forest office alone supplied three lakh teak saplings and one-and-a- half lakh mahogany saplings to the public. The department provided such planters a financial aid of Rs 50 per sapling after one year of plantation.
“Some had applied for financial aid for even 600 saplings. There is no upper limit for the number of saplings to be planted. This project is aimed at improving the greenery and timber availability in the state,” Mr Jayasankar Sharma, district forest officer, Thiruvananthapuram, told Deccan Chronicle.
Sandalwood is one of the 10 species listed in the project along with expensive timbers like teak, rosewood and mahogany. “The trees and the revenue from them belong to the planter. The government has no stake in it and the financial aid is to help them nurture the plants. Only in case of sandalwood, the government will take 30 percent of the sales proceedings when the wood is felled and sold in the market,” he added.
Forest sources told DC that the response to the project was so great that many forest nurseries supplied as many as one lakh saplings within two days of announcing the scheme. “Lakhs of trees are planted across the state in private lands and we are meeting the huge demand for saplings,” the DFO added.
( Source : dc )
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