Chhattisgarh tiger reserve finds 2,500 trees girdled. Satellite images show scale

In recent field assessments, over 2,500 trees have been found girdled in the Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve (USTR) in Chhattisgarh. The girdling, a process where bark is removed to cut off nutrient supply, has led to the death of the trees. The location, Karka area, was historically a forest village, but was relocated in the 1980s for dam construction.

Despite compensation, the villagers claim they never left and have been returning to the area for decades. Satellite images show that in the last decade, 30,000 trees have been cleared in the protected forest for cultivation. The girdling of trees can increase human-wildlife conflict due to habitat degradation. Forest officials found evidence of extensive forest degradation, with 2016 imagery showing dense forest, but 2017 imagery revealing a stark reduction in cover as trees dried and died.