India, the birth place of Chipko activism, boasts the world's largest environmental movement. The Chipko movement of the Uttarakhand Himalaya is one of the frequently cited and much publicised environmental and social actions in India. Originating in the Garhwal region of the Western Himalaya as a grassroots-level conservation movement against wanton destruction of trees in general and forests in particular, the movement is certainly seen by many as an inspiring example of local action against the alienating and damaging incursions of the modern state. Started off as a small protest movement against cutting a few ash trees, the movement reached its climax in the mid-seventies.