Maharashtra forest department tests drones to curb smuggling of Khair, teakwood in Nashik district

After successfully using drones to minimise elephant-human conflicts in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, the forest department is now testing quadcopters to increase surveillance against smuggling of Khair and teakwood in Nashik district, an official said.

Khair tree, scientific name Senegalia catechu, is in high demand due to its medicinal value and for making ‘kaat’ or ‘kattha’, a key ingredient of ‘paan’. Teakwood is known for its durability and suitability for making furniture.

In Nashik district, which borders Gujarat, drones are being tested in the forest cover from Igatpuri to Trimbakeshwar ranges to use the unmanned aerial vehicles as a surveillance tool.

The drones are equipped with a thermal imaging system that will enable forest officials to detect any illegal human movement inside forests and their activities, the official said.

Pankaj Garg, deputy conservator of forest from Nashik district, told PTI that their regular methods of seizing illegally cut trees and vehicles transporting Khair and teakwood are already in place.

“But we want to stop the cutting of trees for which human intelligence and surveillance are not enough. Drone-based surveillance will strengthen our work as we will be able to deter smugglers from cutting down the trees,” he said.

Asked about the impact of drones on current practice of intelligence gathering and existing methods to put a check on such smuggling, he said, “The drones are not going to replace anyone or any work that the forest staff do as a part of protecting the green cover.” Garg said drones will silently detect any illegal movement in certain areas and help officials generate actionable intelligence. “It will ultimately increase the efficiency of the department,” he said.

Testing has also taken place in forest covers of Harishchandragad, near Alang, Madan and Kulang forts, Peth as well as in Surgana tehsils, he said.

“One drone can fly up to 30 minutes continuously and has a range of around 800 metres,” he said.

The testing exercise has been on since April this year and forest officials are trying it in various weather conditions, including fog and dusky air, Garg said. “In the last four years, 2,254 pieces of Khair plant and 1,312 pieces of teakwood have been seized from smugglers. The figures are worrisome for us,” he said.

A senior official in the state forest department said, once a tree is cut, it takes years to recover the losses by its felling.

“It takes years for the trees to grow but within a few hours, a full-grown tree is brought down and smuggled out of the forest. We need to use modern technology to stop and deter the smugglers,” the official said.

Drones have been used in the Gadchiroli district, which is known for its dense forest cover and shares a border with neighbouring states, for tracking the movement of elephants and minimising man-animal conflicts, said officials.

Garg said drones were used to track a leopard in the Pimparkhed area of Shirur tehsil in Ahmednagar district. The leopard had killed four persons but the forest department was unable to track the wild cat in the first 10 days, he said.

“Later, with the help of the drone, the leopard was spotted and its movement was tracked. It helped the forest department guess its direction and lay the trap. The leopard was captured and it brought relief to the people as well as the department,” he said.