Ending its flip-flop stand on the transportation of silver oak trees, the State Government has finally decided to exempt the tree species from the purview of the Tamil Nadu Timber Transit Rules 1968. This would enable people to freely transport axed silver oak trees without permits.
A Government Order to this effect was notified in the Gazette earlier this month by the State Environment and Forests Department.
For nearly 15 years, the Tamil Nadu Government has not been able to adopt a firm policy on transportation of silver oak trees and has periodically amended the rules.
Various organisations including the Planters’ Association of Tamil Nadu, Nilgiris District Small Tea Planters, Lower Palani Hill Small Farmers Association, Tamil Nadu Labour Welfare Association and the Shevaroy Planters’ Association have been repeatedly urging the Government to delete the silver oak from the list of Schedule of timbers by suitably amending the Tamil Nadu Forest Act, 1982.
The Associations have been seeking permission to cut mature and excess silver oak trees from their plantations and transport them. The silver oaks are planted as “shade trees” in the tea and coffee plantations so that they could provide shade for the tea and coffee plants. Subsequently, when the trees mature, they need to be cut.
Since at different periods of time the Government had listed silver oak as Scheduled timber, plantation owners were unable to cut them and transport it without obtaining necessary permit under Rule 4 of the TN Timber Transit Rules.
In August 1997, the Environment and Forest Department had excluded silver oak from the purview of the TN Timber Transit Rules. However, within six years in March 2003, the Government reversed the decision.
A year later in July 2004, on a representation from some of the above Associations, once again silver oak was brought in the “exempted list” of tree species.
Meanwhile, the Nilgiris District Tribal Development and Environment Society president Alwas had moved the Supreme Court on the issue following which the judges directed him to approach the Central Empowered Committee for necessary remedy.
While the matter was pending before the Central Empowered Committee, in November 2006, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests wrote to the Government requesting that silver oak tree must be put in the exempted list.
Over the past six years, similar representations were received from different organisations. Acting on these letters, the Government has now finally decided to exclude silver oak from the TN Timber Transit Rules “by way of amending the said Rules.”
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