A bizarre way to loot trees!

Felling of matured trees on the Teesta irrigational canal embankments continues unabated in Jaldhaka and Dimla upazilas of the district, but the authorities concerned seem helpless to stop this illegal practice.

The tree thieves have adopted a novel way to steal the trees. They cut off the bark around the stem on the lower part of big trees, which ultimately kills them.

Prof Abdul Latif, head of the botany department in Nilphamari Government College, told this correspondent that the trees take minerals, water and other nutrients from the soil through the roots.

Those substances are then transmitted to different parts of the trees up to the top through the bark to produce food in the leaves by photosynthesis. If the bark is cut, this natural process is disrupted and the affected trees die within a short time for want of nutrients, he added.

Locals said thieves adopt such a method as felling live trees is a crime punishable by jail sentence or fine. But felling of dead trees is not treated so seriously as those may cause accidents.

Md Fazlul Huq, sub-divisional engineer of Water Development Board (WDB) in Dalia of Nilphamari district, who is responsible for maintaining the Teesta barrage and different irrigation canals, said WDB and the forest department came to a written agreement in 2003 regarding forestation on the canal embankments.

Accordingly, the forest department planted 50 thousand different trees on both embankments of the Teesta main irrigation canal, Dinajpur branch canal and Rangpur branch canal, stretching more than 100 kilometres, and formed beneficiaries' groups to look after them, he added.

After the trees matured, they would be sold, and the money would be shared proportionately among the beneficiaries' group, WDB, forest department and union parishads concerned, Fazlul Huq further added.

On a visit to the main canal and Dinajpur branch canal yesterday, this correspondent saw that thieves had stolen a large number of trees. They had also cut the barks of about a hundred giant trees at Bahali Para, Horish Chandra, Bala Para, Dakkhin Kathali, Uttor Kathali and Nautara villages.

Sunil Chandra Roy, 50, of Horish Chandra village, said that miscreants cut the bark of the valuable big trees at dead of night, as locals remain vigilant at daytime.

After the trees die, they cannot be removed by the forest department officials due to shortage of manpower. Taking the opportunity, the thieves take away the trees at night, he added.

Monem Hossen, forester of Jaldhaka forest office, said, "My department filed dozens of cases in the court against a number of criminals on charge of felling trees. But this crime can't be stopped as the thieves are cutting tree barks to make them die before removal."

Mostafizur Rahman, executive engineer of WDB in Dalia division, said they usually hold motivational meetings with the union parishad leaders concerned and request them to look after the canal embankment trees, but to no avail.