The New Nation - Internet Edition

Our Correspondent, Barisal

Trees saved lives, houses, purified pollutions. Trees destroyed lives, houses, disrupted communications, power and essential supplies. Both facts are proved after the severe destruction of social forestry in south west regions of Bangladesh on November 15 caused by the hits of hurricane Sidr.

The green belts of Sundarban mangrove forest and social forestry have save the lives of hundreds of people as the severity of Sidr weakened as it made landfall in areas, local people said.

The and Officials of forest department of Sidr affected areas said most of the thousands of uprooted trees were varieties of Raj Karoi locally known as Chambol, Raintree, Ipil-Ipil, Babla, Burmeses Tula, Sada Karoi, Acacia or Akasmoni and Shishu.

These trees were planted by the sides of the roads and highways, houses, river banks of coastal belts either by individual or by social at forestation efforts as they become profitable in sale market and usable for different types of works including manufacturing furniture or use as fuel.

Roots of these uprooted trees were not gone too deep in comparison to their length to face the high velocity of wind. Not only was that, most of these trees usually planted from saplings, not from seeds.

In the nursery sapling are developed on mud pots or polythene packs and their main roots are several preserve till sale in market. So roots of these threes could not go to deep under earth after plantation. However these trees can go up and spread branches rapidly.

The owners of the nurseries of Swarupkati Upazila under Pirojpur district, famous as 'Nursery Nagor' for nursery business, also acknowledged the facts. In theses nurseries clay-pots usually used for developing saplings.

Askok Mandol, a nursery owner of Aramkati village of Swarupkati said they develop and supply saplings on clay-pots after dressing the roots.

Asikur Rahman and Sattyaranjan Dakua, nursery owners of Swaupkati and adjacent Jhalakati Sadar upazila also acknowledging the facts said like the private nurseries, the same process also followed by government nurseries.

The saplings developed within a limited boundaries of small pots, could not spread to lower side. So then the roots becoming twist and curling to go ups and at the time of marketing these roots dress by cutting, they acknowledged.

Md. Nurul Huq, forest officer of Jhalakati range said since 1985 they engaged in producing and developing saplings in four nurseries of this range and 420 kilometers of social at forestation in this region were completed since then.

However 70% of theses social forestry of this region was damaged by recent hurricane Sidr causing losses of more than six core taka. Damages of forestations in private sectors were out of that estimates, he added.

Prof. Jadulal Karmakar, teacher of Botani Department of Dhaka University in a recent interview with press said, the main or principal root of the tree works as an anchor to stable the tree binding with earth ground. If main or principal route was dressed up and cut then other branch roots of the trees could spread on ground, but could not go deeper of the earth and reduces stamina and stability of the tree. So main or principal root of the tree would never been cut or dressed, he expressed.

Kashayapi Bikas Chandra, assistant conservator of forest under social forestation department of Barisal partially agreed with the facts said all of the uprooted trees were not planted from pot-saplings and it was very difficult for every tree to stand against the high velocity of winds like hurricane Sidr. Saplings at government nurseries were developed in 10 inch long and 6 inch wide polythene pots and after banning the use of polythene, we use clay-pots for that.

However present Care Taker Government revised the decision and permitted to use seven by seven inches sized poly-propylene bags compoundable with earth for developing saplings and already tenders for supplying poly-propylene bags has been called, he informed.

We prefer plantation of trees on main grounds by using saplings of one year or more older than it for sustainable results with long life, not only emphasising on length of principal roots, he opined.

Ziaul Islam, forester of Jhalakati forest department, said roots of saplings could not the developed properly in a three inch deep clay-pot.

So roots of those trees produced after plantation from those saplings could go high to sky, but could not go deep inside earth.