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New Delhi: The Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change has issued model rules for felling trees in agricultural land, aiming to boost exports of wood-based products.
The rules are designed to support ease of doing business for those involved in tree-based farming. By promoting domestic timber production through agroforestry, the approach seeks to close the demand-supply gap, support wood-based industries with locally sourced raw materials, and boost exports.
“The model rules aim to establish a streamlined regulatory framework by providing simplified procedures for registering agroforestry lands and managing tree harvesting and transit. The initiative is expected to encourage greater participation and open up opportunities for farmers and other stakeholders to adopt agroforestry practices,” according to a press statement issued by the ministry.
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According to ministry officials, the initiative would go a long way in doubling farm incomes, reducing timber imports and building sustainable land-use models.
The state-level committee established under the Wood-Based Industries (Establishment and Regulation) Guidelines, 2016, will also be responsible for implementing these model rules, according to the ministry statement. Its role will be to guide the states and union territories on promoting agroforestry and enhancing timber production from farmlands by easing regulations related to tree harvesting and timber transportation, particularly for commercially valuable species. The committee will empanel agencies for verifying applications for felling of trees from agricultural lands.
As per the model rules, applicants are required to register their plantations on the National Timber Management System (NTMS) portal, which is being developed. This involves submitting basic plantation data including land ownership, location of the farm, species and plantation period.
The applicants can periodically update the plantation information and upload geotagged photos of the plantation to ensure traceability. Also, applicants wishing to harvest trees from registered plantations can apply online through the NTMS, providing specific details of the trees intended for felling.
Further, verifying agencies will carry out site inspections and based on their verification reports, tree felling permits will be issued for agricultural lands. The divisional forest officers will oversee the performance of these agencies through periodic supervision and monitoring.
The ministry of environment, forest and climate change has requested states and Union territories to examine the model rules and consider their adoption in order to enhance the ease of doing business in agroforestry and incentivize farmers to integrate trees into their farming systems without facing undue procedural hurdles.
