The sal and the beetle: Why Madhya Pradesh is cutting 1.4 lakh trees to save the forest

In Madhya Pradesh, the forest department has initiated a significant operation to cut 1.4 lakh sal trees to combat a devastating outbreak of the sal heartwood borer, a longhorn beetle. The beetle, known as Hoplocerambyx spinicornis, has been a persistent threat to sal trees for over a century. Villagers collect the beetles by hand, strip the bark from the affected trees, and extract the sap.

The beetles are subsequently turned into necklaces, which are then transported to eight collection centers in the district, generating revenue for the forest department. The sal tree, or Shorea robusta, is a dominant species in central India's dry deciduous forests and plays a crucial role in the ecosystem, supporting various non-timber products that are essential to forest-dwelling and tribal communities.