Forest dept seizes wood felled by poachers

Forest department officials seized a rosewood tree felled by tree poachers in a Sandalwood plantation in Suntikoppa.

The poachers had cut a tree valuing lakhs of rupees, into pieces, during the night, in the plantation in Suntikoppa Gram Panchayat limits.

When the security guard of the plantation noticed the same the next morning, he alerted the manager of the plantation.

Following a complaint filed by manager Shridhar, the forest department personnel have seized the rosewood logs.

The poachers have cleared coffee saplings in the plantation belonging to Kushalappa nearby so that the felled rosewood could be transported easily.

The villagers complained that the menace of tree poachers is on the rise and the incidents of poaching of valuable trees are rising due to the negligence of the forest department.