Nandapur: Aromatic wood plantation has received a major boost in Odisha with the presence of nearly 1.8 lakh sandalwood trees across Koraput district. The sandalwood trees are spread over 605 hectares across 12 hills under Nandapur forest range of Semiliguda forest section in Koraput forest division.
Forest officials have recently undertaken a detailed survey of sandalwood-bearing areas and proposed a series of measures to strengthen the protection of the valuable species. According to Forest Department estimates, nearly 1.8 lakh sandalwood trees are distributed across the 605-hectare area. A team comprising Koraput DFO Siddhartha Jain, Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Jagannath Prasad Bisoi, Forester Gopinath Pangi and forest guards Subrata Kumar Garnayak, Sona li Kerketta and Sabita Sahu visited all 12 hills and conducted a census of the trees.
Following the survey, the team recommended several protective measures, including installation of solar-powered fencing, deployment of CCTV surveillance systems in vulnerable areas, appointment of dedicated security personnel and revival of inactive forest protection committees to strengthen monitoring.
The proposals have reportedly been forwarded to the state Forest Department and its secretary for approval. The initiative comes amid concerns over the gradual decline of sandalwood trees in Koraput’s hill forests. Earlier, advocate and human rights activist Anup Kumar Patra had raised allegations about depletion of sandalwood resources and submitted memorandums to the President, PM, Director General of Forests, CM, Chief Secretary and senior state forest officials.
Acting on the complaints, Rashtrapati Bhavan directed the DG of Forests and officials of the Forest Survey and Utilisation Division to verify the allegations and take necessary measures for the protection of sandalwood trees. Subsequently, ADG of Forests Sanjay Kumar Chauhan wrote to the PCCF, Odis ha, directing officials to assess the ground situation and initiate appropriate action.
Following these directives, a team led by Koraput DFO conducted an extensive survey of sandalwood-bearing forest areas under Nandapur Forest Range. During the survey, officials assessed sandalwood trees growing across the hilly forest tracts. The exercise revealed the presence of more than 1.8 lakh sandalwood trees of varying sizes across the forested landscape. However, the team found that many trees were in poor condition, with exposed and damaged roots allegedly caused by illegal extraction activities. Forest officials said the condition of the trees has raised concerns about their long-term survival. Nandapur Forester Gopinath Pangi said proper protection and conservation measures could help revive the declining sandalwood population and restore the ecological and economic significance of the region’s sandalwood forests.
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