Mysuru: Record wildfire season has destroyed millions of trees in Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Many areas have been burned so severely that natural regeneration is not possible, making replanting necessary. Ash has covered over 8,000 acres of land across the Bandipur Tiger Reserve, which houses the highest number of tigers in India and it is the biggest fire encountered in the State in recent times.

What was once a verdant tiger landscape has been reduced to black soot and ash. As a damage control mechanism, the Forest Department has decided to replant the destroyed areas with native trees and bamboo saplings.

The Department has identified over 2,500 acres for reforestation in the first stage and seeds will be sown along National Highway 67 (Bandipur-Ooty Road) from Melukamanahalli village. Seeds will be sown on both sides of the road so that once the seeds sprout, the soot-covered land will look green. The sowing operation will be taken up once the monsoon season begins so that the seeds can get rainfall support in June to regenerate.

Reforestation is the process of establishing trees on a previously forested site following a disturbance such as fire. There are two ways to re-establish trees. Natural regeneration is when you let nature handle the job of re-vegetating a site with trees whereas artificial regeneration is when you bypass nature and seed or plant the site yourself.

Over 25 tonnes of wild bamboo will be planted inside the forest as dry bamboo was the biggest casualty during the recent fire. Native species including Honge (2,500 kg), Sandalwood (500 kg), Ficus (200), Yelachi (470) Tamarind (200), Hebbevu (4,000 kg), Holedasavala (13), Gobbalimara (110), Shivane (14) and Hemata (1,500 kg) will be planted.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Project Tiger and Bandipur Tiger Reserve Director T. Balachandra said that already 10,000 seeds of different tree species have been procured from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu and 25 tonne wild bamboo seeds are being brought in for replanting process.

“It usually rains in Bandipur after April and we will start replanting once the rain begins. It will be a massive operation and along with the forest staff, we will hire local tribals and villagers for the job. More than 500 people will be employed for the job and in three to four years, the green growth will start showing,” he said.

As part of forest protection mechanism, efforts are being made to connect with the villagers who have their grouse against the Forest Department. Disgruntlement among villagers and tribals is said to be the main reason for them to set forest afire like it happened this year.

“We are trying our best to earn the confidence of villagers and tribals and the non-sanctioning of compensation for wild animal attack is their main grouse.

Unemployment and poverty are other reasons for them to be unhappy with the Department.We will iron out the issues and already many villagers have voluntarily agreed to join hands with the Department,” Balakrishna said.