Guwahati: According to records obtained through the Right to Information (RTI), more than one lakh fully grown trees have been removed across Assam for various government and private projects since May 2016.
State authorities, however, maintain that the tree removal was unavoidable for executing key projects. They also claim that large-scale plantation drives have been carried out to offset the loss, with over 3.5 crore saplings planted during the last two years alone.
Environmental specialists from several government-run academic institutions, however, believe that removing such a large number of mature trees has caused considerable ecological damage.
They argue that replacing old trees with saplings cannot be considered an equivalent measure and say the absence of scientific studies examining the environmental consequences is worrying.
Information obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) request submitted to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) shows that 15 out of 44 wildlife and territorial forest divisions in Assam reported that a total of 1,06,896 trees have been cut since May 2016.
The RTI application contained 11 questions and was filed with the office of the PCCF and Head of Forest Force under the state’s Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department. The queries were subsequently circulated to 43 forest divisions across Assam.
While 15 divisions provided detailed figures, another 12 divisions responded but did not share any information related to tree cutting.
Sixteen other divisions have not submitted any response so far.
None of the 27 divisions that replied to the RTI indicated that they had conducted any environmental impact study before or after removing the trees.
Assam’s Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary told PTI that the trees were cleared mainly for infrastructure expansion and oil exploration activities.
He said that development works across the state required land clearance, making the removal of trees unavoidable in many cases.
Patowary cited several examples, including the four-laning of National Highway-17 connecting Guwahati and Goalpara and the construction of Darrang Medical College and Hospital.
He added that many road development projects, particularly national highways, involved clearing roadside vegetation. In addition, oil companies such as ONGC and Oil India have been conducting drilling operations and establishing new wells, which also required removing some trees.
According to the minister, the land selected for the Darrang Medical College previously hosted a silk plantation, and the entire plantation area had to be cleared before construction began.
To compensate for the loss of green cover, the government has carried out extensive plantation campaigns, he said.
Patowary mentioned the “Amrit Briksha Andolan”, under which one crore saplings were planted in a single day. Along with other plantation drives, the state claims to have planted around 3.5 crore saplings over the past two years.
Data shared under the RTI further indicates that most divisions reported a survival rate of more than 70 per cent for the planted saplings after maintenance and care.
Since May 2016, more than 26,000 trees have been removed from officially designated forest areas, while the rest were cut from non-forest land.
Government development works accounted for the largest share, with nearly 84,000 trees cleared for projects such as roads, bridges, flyovers, factories, and buildings including medical colleges, police battalions, and other facilities. Private projects were responsible for the removal of over 10,000 trees.
The records also show that around 65,000 trees were cut between 2021 and 2025 during the tenure of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, while more than 18,000 were removed when Sarbananda Sonowal headed the state government.
Commenting on the issue, Cotton University’s Assistant Professor of Environmental Biology and Wildlife Sciences, Narayan Sharma, said comparing mature tree loss with sapling plantations is misleading.
He explained that a fully grown tree represents decades of ecological development and provides numerous environmental benefits that newly planted saplings cannot replicate in the short term.
Sharma added that even when saplings survive, it may take many decades before they offer ecological services similar to those of mature trees.
The biodiversity conservation expert also emphasised that removing large clusters of trees in any area should be accompanied by a proper environmental impact assessment.
Such research, he said, is essential to understand possible changes in the local microclimate, biodiversity, and ecosystems, as well as potential effects on human well-being.
Gauhati University Assistant Professor of Environmental Science Minakshi Bora expressed similar concerns, saying the RTI figures should be interpreted carefully.
According to Bora, the numbers may appear encouraging at first glance, but the loss of mature trees cannot be directly balanced by planting young saplings.
She explained that an established tree stores large amounts of carbon, supports wildlife habitats, and contributes significantly to ecosystem stability, benefits that a young plant cannot provide immediately.
Bora, who specialises in GIS and ecohydrology, also described the absence of environmental impact assessments in different forest divisions as scientifically troubling.
Without systematic research, she warned, gradual environmental degradation could remain unnoticed until the damage becomes severe and difficult to reverse.