25 crore tree plantation program: Please stop logging of trees first
Farida Akhter || Saturday 27 June 2026 ||
The BNP government has declared a plan to plant 25 crore trees across the country in five years. This is a laudable step indeed. The Ministry of Environment has informed that this tree plantation is part of the five-point plan titled ‘National Green Mission’ of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, pledging to save forests, wildlife, the environment, and biodiversity.
The time for priority tree planting has long passed. Now we are going through a tough time with environmental and climate disasters: rising temperatures, erratic rainfall that disregards seasonal patterns, cracking soil, and salinity affected coastal region. There is no end to human plight. Under these circumstances, the present government has taken up this program. However, one prior step is required. That is, a declaration, that not a single tree will be logged without prior permission from competent authority and approval of the community. Without preventing logging of trees, planting of 25 crores or even 50 crores will bring no result.
We need to ask, what decision has been made to save those plants, which have been supplying oxygen to keep us alive so long? If the objective of the tree plantation is to increase oxygen supply then those which are already doing the job must be saved first. Even if the newly planted trees start supplying oxygen from the next day of planting, definitely cannot compete with those of the standing plants.
Humans and animals takes up oxygen from air and in turn release carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere. May be we do not perceive what would happen to us if the plants stop absorbing carbon-dioxide and release oxygen. A full grown plant releases thousands of liters of oxygen a year, although, all plants do not release same amount of oxygen. The type of plant and species determine the amount of oxygen release and carbon-dioxide taken in. So much of accounting is not easy for all, so the simple way is to plant all types and species of plants.
We become happy at the news of tree planting but the priority importance should be to stop the felling of matured trees. The maturity period of the newly planted trees depends on the species of the tree. We do not know what the species of plants for the plantation program of the government. It would be better to have publicise such information to the people. As we often say, anything of urgency should be done ‘yesterday’. That means, the declaration for stopping the logging of trees should be given not today, not even tomorrow, rather ‘yesterday’. The fact is that, the date for declaration of stopping the logging of trees has expired already.
Two examples where logging of trees must be stopped urgently. These are:
1. Illegal use of timber or trees is going on in brick fields, although such uses are totally prohibited by law. The Brick Manufacturing and Brick Kilns Establishment Control Act, 2023 (Act number 59 of 2013), prohibits the use of fuel wood in Article 6: no person shall use fuel wood as fuel in brick kilns for burning bricks. Despite this, newspaper reports generally indicate that fuelwood is used in brick fields across the country. No body keeps account of the thousands of trees logged in the country for using in the brick fields.
2. Firewood is used for curing tobacco leaves in the tobacco-growing areas. In Rangpur, Kushtia, and Chittagong Hill Tract, where there is tobacco cultivation, the trees have been ruthlessly logged for tobacco leaf curing. Of course, the tobacco companies have been planting fast-growing tree species for further logging. A UBINIG study shows that logged trees are stacked in front of the kilns for curing tobacco leaves during the season. The tobacco farmers have stated that no trees could escape from the kilns used to cure tobacco leaves. The tobacco farmers have destroyed valuable tree species like garjon, teak, white teak, black berry, fry wood, mango, jack fruit etc. In Kushtia, important mature tree species have been used to cure tobacco leaves. In the absence of fuelwood, rice straw, jute sticks, dhaincha, and sugarcane bagasse have been used to cure tobacco leaves. Research revealed that over 9,000 kilos of fuelwood are required per kiln per year. In order to ensure such supply 1000—1200 trees of medium size are logged.
There are many more examples of tree logging such as the high way construction, house building construction. For Jamuna bridge construction, from Dhaka to Tangail by road, I have seen in my own eyes that uncounted logged trees were lying on the road side. In April, this year Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has ordered increasing the width of Marine Drive without felling any tree. This humble effort has saved more than three thousands trees.
Not only saving the standing trees but also the entire marine drive has been made beautiful and environment friendly. Programs have been taken up for planting new trees on the two side of the road. This is a positive step forward.
However, logging may be needed in case of environmentally harmful trees. This is an emergency as well to identify and fell some plants like eucalyptus, akashmoni, and mahogany. This is important for saving the environment. It is important, in this context to note that tree planting is not always saving environment. In environment science, there are some plants causing harm to environment.
Nonetheless, planting 25 crores trees is a very urgent and important project. I wish best success of this effort. However, the current destructive act of felling trees must be stopped first.
Farida Akhter: Former Adviser, Interim Government and Executive Director UBINIG