Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of News Item titled "2 killed in blast at illegal cracker unit in Thanjavur appearing in The Hindu dated 19.05.2025". The application is registered suo-motu on the basis of the news item titled 2 killed in blast at illegal cracker unit …
A panel committee, formed under the Union ministry of environment and forests (MEF), and headed by former MEF secretary R Rajamani, has reportedly conducted an indLpth survey on forest conservation, reasons for the loss of forest cover and the levels of degradation of forests in the northeastern states. The committee …
The Supreme Court order was issued by Justices J S Verma and B N Kripal. It stated that: • prior approval of the Centre will be required for any non-forest activity within the area of everyforest. All ongoing activity, including mining and running saw and veneer mills, within any forest …
The Supreme Court of India recently modified its order passed on December 12, banning all non-forest activities in reserved areas. The court formed a high-level committee to oversee the implementation of its orders in the northeastern states. The committee will monitor the preparation of an inventory of timber in all …
the recent ruling by the Supreme Court (sc), based on the assessment of timber and forest produce and forest mining in the northeastern states, has left the timber and affiliated industries in the region in a limbo. The impor-tance of preserving the forest wealth of the states seems to have …
THE Amazon region in SouthAmerica is being invaded inhordes by huge Asian loggingcompaniesscaring environmentalists and local loggingoutfits. ProceedingfromMyanmarIndonesiaMalaysiaPhilippines and Korea -where they have already devastated more than 50 per cent ofthe original wood areas -these companies are said tohave bought at least 1.5 million ha of forest lands in theBrazilian …
In a move that could be a blessing in disguise for the country's environment, foreign logging companies have threatened to end their operations in the country. They are protesting against the new timber policy of the government which calls for increased royalties to local landowners. Officials of six major foreign …
Portable power sawmills with small engines have been developed by an Australian company. The sawmill, weighing 325 kg, takes only five minutes to reset and can be dismantled into five pieces and carried in the rear of a small vehicle. Made of high tensile steel and galvanised components, the sawmill …
CONCERTED efforts by officials of the Kamrup East Forest Division have shown encouraging results in containing large-scale illegal felling and trade of valuable trees in reserved forests along the Assam-Meghalaya border. Every alternate day, the forest officials patrol the border and conduct frequent, sudden raids in suspected villages inside and …
In a belated step to conserve the nation's depleted forest resources, the Kampuchean government has announced a complete ban on the exports of logs and sawn timber. As if to set the seal on its new-found conservation zeal, agriculture minister Tao Senghour even announced a final date for the export …
The 1993-94 Annual Review and Assessment of the World Tropical Timber Situation reports that declining global production and imports have increased the chasm between exports and imports to over 5.8 million metres cube. Resource scarce, tropical timber exporting countries like India and Thailand have now become net importers. With Asian …
COLONIAL logic has often found it convenient to adopt and adapt "native" logic, and later drop it to suit its changing needs. Taungya is the name of a forestry game the British played in erstwhile Burma. The taungya system was first practiced here in the mid-19th century. Taung is "hill" …
Firms owned by the Indonesian government will have a 49 per cent stake in 2 forest concessions of Barito Pacific Timber, according to an agreement reached in September between the government and the timber giant. The government, in turn, will renew Barito's permits for logging. Indonesian officials are euphoric over …
Australia's new role as a protector of forests in the South Pacific is causing uneasiness in Malaysia. Trouble has been brewing since early August, when Australian prime minister Paul Keating accused Malaysian, South Korean and Indonesian logging companies of "ripping off" the island nations by paying too little for timber …
MORE than 400 saw mills in Orissa, out of 600, may be closed if the Orissa Saw Mill and Saw Pit Act, 1990 -- which disallows the existence or operation of such units within 10 km of a forest -- is carried through. Although the Act was framed in 1990, …
EUCALYPTUS wood is a perfect contortionist -- when sawn, it can crack, bend, warp and twist. Making furniture out of this wood, therefore, has been a hopeless task. But now scientists at the Dehra Dun-based Forest Research Institute have developed a way of seasoning and sawing eucalyptus so that it …
• Investors have been flocking to timber-based businesses in Malaysia, where timber related stocks are being traded at high prices. This is a result of a combination of strong timber prices and a comparative scarcity of timber-related listings on the Kuala Lumpur stock market. • Japanese electronics firms are looking …
Some are lawyers, others are teachers, doctors or businesspersons. Many are retired defence personnel and coffee planters, in addition to being paddy cultivators. This diverse group makes up the Kodagu Ekikarna Ranga (KER), an organisation fighting to preserve and protect the culture and heritage of Karnataka's Kodagu district (formerly known …
What led to the formation of KER? Kodagu is divided both politically and according to caste and politicians exploit this. We are the smallest district, yet our contribution to Karnataka's kitty is the highest. When Kodagu was merged with Karnataka in 1956, development stopped. Politically, the scene is dismal. The …
ROUND logs can be transformed into square ones without using a saw. The process yields wood that is stronger, denser and less liable to split and warp (New Scientist, Vol. 135, No. 1828). The method, evolved by Japanese scientist Yoshinori Kobayashi, involves baking the logs to around 1000 C in …
From Kashmir to Burma, where tigers once lived amid lush forests, a vast tract of land has been laid bare by the timber industry. In its wake have come landslides, drought and yet further poverty. The only hope for the hill people is a Ghandian like movement which villagers have …
