India approves felling 156,319 sal trees to fight beetle infestation
What's the story
The Indian government has sanctioned the felling of 156,319 sal trees in Madhya Pradesh to tackle a sal heartwood borer infestation. The outbreak, which is cyclical and occurs roughly every three decades, has affected large areas of forest. Of the total number of trees to be felled, 146,784 are located in Dindori district while 9,535 are in Anuppur district's Amarkantak area.
Infestation spread
What is sal heartwood borer infestation?
The sal heartwood borer, scientifically known as Hoplocerambyx spinicornis, is a longhorn beetle that infests the trunks of sal trees.
The larvae of this beetle burrow into the wood, causing significant damage to these hardwood trees.
In Dindori district alone, the infestation has spread over 30,487 hectares of forest land.
Control measures
Beetles collected, villagers involved
The Dindori district forest department has adopted a two-pronged strategy to control the beetle infestation. This includes felling infested trees and using them as "trap" trees to attract more beetles.
Local villagers have also been involved in this fight against the pest, with authorities paying ₹2 for every collected beetle.
By September, nearly 1.9 million beetles had been collected under this initiative at an estimated cost of ₹3.85 million.
Historical context
Past epidemics and current outbreak
The sal heartwood borer was first recorded as a pest of sal trees in 1899.
Its most recent large epidemic occurred between 1996 and 2001, when over 3.5 million sal trees were affected across a vast area of around 5,000 square kilometers.
The current outbreak mirrors the patterns seen in past epidemics, including one from 1997-98 that fell within the same timeframe as this recent infestation.