Chhattisgarh seeks expert help for ‘surgery’ to save over 500 damaged trees

More than 500 trees in Karka village were freshly girdled inside the Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve. An inspection found about 2,500 damaged trees, mainly Sal, Bija and Tendu. Officials allegedly linked the damage to encroachers. Girdling removes bark and can eventually kill a tree.

The forest department inspected the area from September 22 to October 10. It used a DGPS-enabled drone survey and compared the results with ISRO satellite images from 2010 and 2016. Those older images showed dense forests. This comparison suggested that thousands of trees may have been cleared during the past decade.

Freshly girdled trees have better chances of recovery, so officials are seeking specialist help. Vijay Nishanth, called the Tree Doctor, will assess the trees and recommend bridge-grafting or other treatments. The department is also consulting local tribal communities and forest dwellers.

Girdling is the removal of a portion or ring of bark around a tree trunk. The article explains that this cuts off nutrient supply and eventually results in the tree’s death. The damage is especially serious when it interrupts the living tissues beneath the bark.

A tree depends on transport tissues in its trunk to move materials between roots and branches. Sugars made in leaves must travel to other parts, while water and dissolved minerals must move upward. When a continuous ring is removed, these pathways are broken. Roots and other tissues can then be starved of the resources they need.

Not every girdled tree is necessarily lost. Freshly damaged trees may still be saved if the connection is restored quickly. USTR is therefore seeking expert help for bridge-grafting. The treatment joins healthy tissue across the wound, while later monitoring will show whether the tree recovers.

The inspection found around 2,500 girdled trees in the reserve. Most were Sal, Bija and Tendu. Officials also concluded that thousands of trees may have been cleared during the last decade, after comparing recent surveys with older forest imagery.

The number that may still be saved is more specific: over 500 trees were freshly girdled. Their recent damage means the transport tissues may be more likely to recover if treated soon. The department is considering bridge-grafting and other restoration methods for these trees.

The figures show both the scale of the problem and the limited recovery opportunity. Older damage may be harder to reverse, while fresh wounds offer a better chance. USTR is bringing in Vijay Nishanth for expert assessment. He will identify viable trees and guide treatment, follow-up care and monitoring.

Bridge grafting is a proposed “surgical” treatment for trees whose bark has been removed in a ring. A healthy branch is grafted across the girdled portion. This creates a living bridge over the wound and reconnects damaged tissues.

The bridge matters because a girdled trunk no longer provides a continuous transport path. The grafted branch can link the tissues above and below the injury, helping resources move across the damaged section. USTR currently applies cow dung and soil to wounds and wraps them with gunny bags. The article says bridge grafting works better before the monsoon, when tissue growth is higher.

USTR tried bridge grafting in the Tourenga Range in 2022, but success was only about 10 percent. Officials therefore want Vijay Nishanth to assess the trees and improve treatment methods. His visit will also train USTR staff and support later care and monitoring.

The reserve is important for biodiversity and for the Mahanadi River’s origin landscape. If forest loss continues, these ecological values could be weakened. The article links the scale of damage to an urgent need for restoration, stronger protection and prosecution of accused persons.

The concern is not limited to old damage. Officials found over 500 freshly girdled trees, raising fears that deliberate damage may be helping further encroachment. Around 2,500 trees were found girdled in total, and thousands may have been cleared over the past decade. These changes indicate continuing pressure on the forest.

USTR is responding through several measures. It is seeking expert help to save viable trees, training staff in restoration procedures and planning follow-up monitoring. The reserve is also consulting tribal communities and forest dwellers. Their traditional ecological knowledge and indigenous tree-care practices may inform future protection and healing efforts.

The forest department inspected the reserve between September 22 and October 10. It used a DGPS-enabled drone survey to document current conditions. Drone data helped officials examine the affected area and locate damaged or missing trees.

They read those findings alongside ISRO satellite imagery from 2010 and 2016. The older images showed dense forests in the area. Comparing that historical baseline with present conditions revealed a major change. The department concluded that thousands of trees may have been cleared over the last decade.

This approach helped officials move beyond isolated observations of girdled trunks. It connected current ground conditions with a longer record of forest cover. The findings supported calls for restoration, stronger protection and prosecution. They also helped highlight the need to save freshly girdled trees before their damage becomes irreversible.

In tree biology, transport tissues move essential materials through the trunk. Xylem carries water and dissolved minerals from roots toward branches and leaves. Phloem carries sugars made in leaves to growing and storage tissues, including roots. Together, these pathways support the tree’s growth and survival.

Much of this transport occurs in tissues near the bark. When a ring of bark is removed, the phloem pathway is interrupted around the trunk. Sugars can no longer move normally to tissues below the wound. If the injury also affects deeper tissues, water movement through the xylem may be disrupted. The tree can then lose resources above or below the damaged area.

Bridge grafting attempts to create a new living connection across the wound. USTR says a healthy branch can reconnect damaged tissues. Freshly girdled trees offer better recovery chances, but the reserve’s earlier effort had only about a 10 percent success rate.