Bhubaneswar: The Forest, Environment, and Climate Change Department of Odisha have devised an extensive Tala Tree plantation initiative along the demarcated forest block perimeters during the upcoming planting seasons of 2024-25 and 2025-26.
“Palm trees serve a dual purpose, acting not only as natural lightning arresters but also as protective barriers along the forest block boundaries. Additionally, these plantations are expected to offer valuable fodder for wildlife, particularly elephants,” affirmed Satyabrata Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary of the FE&CC Department and Special Relief Commissioner of Odisha.
The decision to pursue this initiative was reached during the recent State-level DFO Conference chaired by FE&CC Minister Pradip Kumar Amat, following comprehensive deliberations. This proactive measure is anticipated to mitigate the prevalent human-elephant conflicts in the region.
Notably, there exist 4,479 designated forest blocks covering an expansive boundary area of 39,671 square kilometers. With a comprehensive plan in place, the proposal aims to plant four palm trees in the vicinity of each boundary pillar along the forest block perimeters, totaling 480,207 boundary pillars.
An estimated 19 lakhs of palm trees will be strategically planted, with a budget allocation of approximately 7.5 crores.
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