Madhya Pradesh's Forest Department trapped nearly two million sal borer insects in Dindori, but the infestation continues.
Nearly a third of the approximately 150,000 trees identified for felling have been cut down.
Experts question the decision to fell trees during the monsoon, warning that it could encourage the pest's spread.
Former forest officials call for a scientific reassessment, saying many affected trees could still be saved.
The Madhya Pradesh Forest Department trapped nearly two million sal borer insects during the monsoon in Dindori district, spending about Rs 40 lakh on the exercise. Yet the infestation continues, raising questions about the effectiveness of the operation and the decision to fell thousands of affected trees.
Last year, the pest affected more than 30,000 hectares of sal forest in Dindori Forest Division. Nearly a third of the approximately 150,000 trees identified for felling have since been cut down.
Before the felling began, the department had cut 6,769 unaffected trees to use as traps for the insects. The trapping operation ran from June 1 to July 31.
Residents of Chauradadar and Sontirath, among the worst-affected villages, said the operation began on time but ended too soon. They believe extending it could have helped control the infestation.
Surendra Jatav, sub-divisional officer of Dindori Forest Division, confirmed that the infestation remained severe. He said sal borer outbreaks typically intensify in the second year.
Dindori forest division's working plan states that felling in sal forests should be completed before June. Cutting trees during the monsoon can attract sal borers and encourage their reproduction.
However, felling began in September, during the rainy season, after delays in obtaining central government approval.
Entomologists argue that cutting infested trees during this period can undermine efforts to contain the pest. They say trees should be removed before the monsoon to prevent insects from spreading to healthy trees.
Another concern is that trees felled in September and October were left scattered across the forest instead of being immediately transported to temporary depots outside it.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change's regional empowered committee approved the felling on September 1, following a proposal submitted by the state Forest Department on June 24.
The committee authorised the removal of 146,784 trees in Dindori and 9,535 in neighbouring Anuppur district.
The department argued that removing dead and infested trees would protect healthy trees and support the long-term conservation of forest health and biodiversity.
But experts question whether felling during the monsoon was necessary.
Uday Homkar, an entomologist at the State Forest Research Institute in Jabalpur who has monitored the outbreak, said many trees had already been felled while others remained standing.
With the insects having already emerged, he questioned whether further felling would achieve its intended purpose.
He suggested reassessing the remaining trees, as some might have recovered from the infestation.
Madhya Pradesh's Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, B S Annagiri, told Down To Earth that sal borer outbreaks could persist for three to four years, with their intensity varying over time.
He said the current outbreak was likely to continue into next year, making it necessary to assess its severity and determine appropriate control measures.
Annagiri explained that large-scale tree felling required central government approval and could not be undertaken independently by the state department.
However, he said the situation would be reviewed with the conservator of forests and divisional forest officer, including through site inspections.
If the infestation remained severe and further felling was necessary, arrangements could be made to remove affected trees before the next monsoon.
Ram Prasad, a former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests in Madhya Pradesh and former director of the Indian Institute of Forest Management, believes the department has rushed the felling operation.
Prasad had previously refused to endorse a central government committee report recommending the removal of sal borer-affected trees during an outbreak in the 1990s.
He called for a scientific reassessment of trees marked for removal, including field inspections to determine whether they could recover naturally.
At a workshop in Bhopal on October 23, he urged the department to halt felling immediately.
"I've known this area and the Forest Department's operations since 1970. In the past 50 years, I've rarely seen the department's entire staff go into the forest to mark trees," he told Down To Earth.
Prasad questioned whether local villagers, who he said had traditionally undertaken much of the tree-marking work, were equipped to assess the severity of the infestation.
He asked what proportion of affected trees had been scientifically examined before being marked for felling.
Prasad argued that cutting trees merely because they showed signs of infestation was unjustified, particularly when some remained green and capable of recovery.
He also questioned the purpose of felling trees if the cut timber was left in the forest, potentially harbouring insects.
"Trees that are still green and standing are absorbing carbon and are part of the ecosystem. They shouldn't be cut down simply because they once showed signs of infection," he said.
He cited an intervention in Kanha during the 1990s, when approximately 1.4 million to 1.5 million trees were reportedly spared from felling despite an infestation.
According to Prasad, the experience demonstrated the importance of assessing whether affected forests could regenerate naturally.
He called for studies to determine whether trees spared during earlier outbreaks had recovered, arguing that such evidence should guide future decisions.
Prasad also stressed that the ecological value of sal forests should take precedence over economic considerations when deciding whether to fell trees.
He proposed forming a team of senior forest officials, scientists and retired officers to inspect the affected areas and review the trees marked for removal.
He said suspending felling for 10 to 15 days, or even a month, would allow time for a scientific reassessment without causing significant harm.
As the sal borer's active season generally begins around May or June, he argued that there was still time to review the situation before the next outbreak.
Annagiri also acknowledged that a second inspection could help identify trees that did not need to be felled.
He said receiving government permission to cut trees did not mean every tree identified had to be removed.
If inspections showed that some could survive, they could be spared, provided officials documented the reasons for leaving them standing.
