Tree for tree, but at what cost?

We welcome the High Court's directive for the authorities to plant 10 new trees for every one tree cut for the sake of development work. The ruling came after an incident involving felling 30 palm trees for the construction of a road in Patuakhali. However, it hits close to home given how widespread the culture of cutting trees has become across the country. Time and again, we have warned about the environmental costs of destroying trees and forests under various pretexts, but there has been little effect so far.

Just days before the HC's order, a vested quarter reportedly razed down hills in Chattogram's Fatikchhari upazila to construct a chicken shed. Around the same time, it was reported that the Chattogram district administration decided to clear out a mangrove forest to build a sanctuary for birds and wildlife. How ludicrous is it to destroy a natural forest to make space for an artificial one? Meanwhile, in Dhaka, we witnessed how the two city corporations disregarded logic to fell trees in the name of beautifying roads. It appears that those in charge of development work are somehow unaware that development at the cost of the environment is a lost game in the end.

As for the HC's comment, we must recognise that simply planting new trees after cutting down older, mature ones will not provide the same environmental benefits. Older trees absorb and store more carbon dioxide, and replacing them with younger ones not only degrades soil quality, but also impacts the new plant's quality and growth. What complicates it further is that often new trees are selected and planted arbitrarily, with very little aftercare.

Therefore, the court's directive should not be taken as a licence to cut trees indiscriminately, and those in charge need to ensure that planting new trees is planned carefully and judiciously. We also would like to urge all project authorities to ensure that their project designs are made by keeping the importance of nature in mind.