Champawat to move God's court to protect Deodar tree

With illegal felling of the Cedrus Deodara (Deodar) going on unabated, Champawat district administration has decided to move the God’s  court to protect the tree species.Being unable to prevent illegal felling of Cedrus Deodara which is a symbol of Champawat’s natural beauty, Champawat district administration has now appealed to the sarpanchs of all van panchayats to dedicate their respective forests to Gods which are worshiped at the local level so that the forests could be given a kind of social security.

Expressing concern over illegal felling of the tree, District Magistrate, Chamapwat, Deependra Kumar Chaudhary, has said that by dedicating these forests to the local Gods a kind of social security could be given to these forests. So the sarpanchs of all van panchayats have been asked to dedicate their respective area forests to the local Gods in consultation with the people of the respective villages, he added.

The cases of illegal felling of this important tree species is being reported mainly from Champawat's lohaghat and adjoining areas.Champawat district administration has constituted a committee -- lohaghat Environment Conservation Committee -- to check illegal felling of Deodar. The committee is holding 

regular meetings to address the problem. 

The committee is also conducting identification surveys on regular basis to ensure protection of this tree species. However, in order to strengthen monitoring system, the van panchayat sarpanchs have also been asked to appoint one forest guard to look after two van panchayats in the district.At the same time, as the officials concerned informed, people associated with furniture, hotel and related trades have also been cautioned against illegal sale or purchase of woods in the district.

The Champawat district administration has also emphasised on the need to create mass awareness about conservation of the tree. It has also asked the members of the aforesaid committee to look after plantation aspect of Deodar.Deodar is one of the main tree species of Champawat adding richly to environment.