A fresh sal borer infestation has been reported in Madhya Pradesh's Dindori forests, even as trees affected by last year's outbreak are being felled.
More than 45,000 of the approximately 150,000 sal trees identified as affected in 2025 have been cut down.
Forest officials have ordered a fresh survey after signs of renewed insect activity emerged in the Karanjia and Bajag ranges.
Villagers say the infestation appears worse than last year, with some comparing it to a major outbreak in the 1990s.
Residents fear widespread tree losses could threaten forest resources, while felling operations may also damage healthy trees.
A fresh outbreak of sal borer insects has been reported in Madhya Pradesh’s Dindori forest division, even as authorities continue felling thousands of trees affected by last year’s infestation.
Large quantities of sawdust have been found beneath sal trees in the Karanjia and Bajag forest ranges, indicating renewed insect activity. Forest officials and scientists have linked the outbreak to a recurring infestation believed to occur roughly every 30 years.
In 2025, the forest department identified approximately 150,000 sal trees affected by the pest. Permission to fell the trees was granted in September, and more than 45,000 have since been cut down.
Most of the felled trees remain at various locations in the Karanjia range.
Bharti Thackeray, divisional forest officer, production division, told Down To Earth that felling was expected to be completed by December, although work in heavily affected areas could continue until January or February.
A temporary timber depot has been established at Sagartola, approximately 60 kilometre (km) away, to store the felled trees.
Surendra Jatav, sub-divisional officer of the Dindori forest division, said he had observed substantial fresh sal borer activity during visits to areas where felling was under way.
He has instructed forest staff to conduct a survey and submit a report, following which scientific institutions will be informed.
Local residents say the infestation appears to be spreading despite the removal of affected trees.
Kartik Ram, 60, from Sontirath village, witnessed a major sal borer outbreak in the 1990s and believes the current situation is worse.
He said large numbers of insects were attracted to lights at his home near the forest between July and September.
Ram fears that continued damage to sal trees could threaten the forest’s water resources and medicinal plants.
Budh Singh Patta, a resident of Kapoti village, said the infestation had spread widely through the surrounding forest.
He alleged that many affected trees marked for removal last year had not been felled, which he believed had contributed to the pest’s spread.
Hirabhai, a resident of Sontirath village, said more than 5,000 trees had been cut in forest compartments numbered 76 to 79 near his village.
He claimed that between 15,000 and 20,000 trees were scheduled for removal in each compartment.
He also raised concerns that healthy trees were being damaged when infested trees fell against them during felling operations.
During a visit to the affected areas on October 27 and 28, DTE spoke to residents who said the infestation appeared more severe than last year's outbreak.
Several villagers also believed the current outbreak was worse than the one experienced about three decades ago.
While forest officials have ordered a fresh assessment, the full extent of the latest infestation remains unclear.