Uttarakhand High Court stays felling of oak trees in Mussoorie for construction

Key facts

• The Uttarakhand High Court stayed the felling of oak trees in Mussoorie on April 1 after a PIL revealed no NOC was sought from the forest department.
• Oak belongs to the genus Quercus in the Fagaceae family and 35 species are reported in Indian Himalayan regions between 800 and 3,000 metres above sea level.
• In Uttarakhand the oak species are Banj oak, Moru oak, Kharsu oak, Rianj oak, and Phaliath oak.
• Oak forests support 440 bird species in Tehri Garhwal, 391 in Rudraprayag, 491 in Almora, 311 in Bageshwar, 383 in Chamoli, and 366 in Champawat according to eBird data.
• A 2022 Ranichauri study recorded 24 butterfly species in Banj oak forests alone.
• Degradation of oak forests in the Indian Himalaya occurs at 0.36 sq km per year due to natural calamities and anthropogenic disturbances including developmental activities.
• Average fuel wood collection by locals in the study area ranged between 25 and 30 kg per household per day and fodder collection between 15 and 22 kg per household per day.