Pine and Eucalyptus forests of Diyatalawa: what of their future?

by Nalaka Mendis

Emeritus Professor, University of Colombo

The three kilometers of road (B396) from the turn off to Diyatalawa on the Haputale – Bandarawela road (A16) is one of the most beautiful stretches of thoroughfare that one can encounter in Sri Lanka. This stretch of road is flanked on either side by a continuous forest of Caribbean Pinus on one side, and on the other, Australian Eucalyptus. These majestically tall trees planted nearly 50 years ago on the deep slopes and rolling hills give the area a peaceful, quiet, sublime and tranquil environment.

Those journeying along this road are transformed by the breathtaking ambience of this magically beautiful forest of trees with the sheer heights they reach, with their slender brown and white trunks, the rustle of the silvery eucalyptus leaves swaying to the tunes of the Uva winds, and the calming shade these trees provide through the length of this road. It makes passers by stop for a tranquil moment, be they tired travelers, lovers in search of privacy, joggers and walkers, nature enthusiasts, and even the daily commuters to catch their breath after a hard day’s work.

The roadside is beautified by a range of wild flowers which only the discerning will find fascinating. Villagers meandering through this forest to collect fallen branches for firewood is an all too common sight following storms and even strong winds which frequent the region. Overall, this forest contributes immensely to the well being of the people. Unique as this stretch of forest may be, such vegetation adorns many other parts of Diyatalawa including the hills around the famed FOX hill.

Sadly, however, even this pristine stretch of land is not free of the ravages of uncaring, selfish people who have scant respect for the environment. Increasingly, garbage is being thrown into this forest and deposited along the roadside by people who come in vehicles with heaps of ugly non-perishable waste; there is even an ‘official ‘ garbage dump established by the local authority at the edge of this forest, with smells of burning garbage from its incinerators wafting from time to time through this otherwise sublime space.

Even worse is that during the past few decades the forest cover in Diyatalawa has been decreasing slowly but noticeably to be replaced by makeshift houses, large buildings or simply bare brown patches of land devoid of greenery due to logging. All this will undoubtedly and negatively impact the quality of peoples’ lives.

These species of trees, Eucalyptus and Pinus were planted on slopes which did not have any significant forest cover at the time; their soils being degraded and therefore home to none but a few tall grasses – these grasslands were thus called dry patanas. Testimony to this are many photographs and drawings of the hills and slopes of this area taken in the late eighteen hundreds showing a very sparse tree cover, published in Samuel Langdon’s book “The Happy Valley” in 1890 (Fig 1 & 2).

In it he describes how walking on these hills can be scorchingly hot and how they’d be looking earnestly for the occasional shady tree in the patanas or in groves in ravines and deep valleys in the area in order to avoid sunburn. Today this very same area is abundantly green and shady with a thick growth of Pinus and Eucalyptus trees (Fig 3 & 4).

Now there are plans for large scale felling operations in these forests in Diyatalawa and Bandarawela regions as mentioned in Dr. Nimal Gunetillake’s recent article (Sunday Times of 31.10.2021). Is the intention to replace these forests with appropriate indigenous species? And If so is there a well conceived plan and the necessary resources to achieve this? Many forestry-related projects undertaken in the past have not been entirely successful, nor have they achieved the intended result.

One such is the large-scale felling of Pinus trees for economic purposes in Hirikatu Oya where a similar lush pine plantation was felled leaving a barren landscape subjected to soil erosion, land slides and an unsightly terrain. The logging for commercial purposes in the Sinharaja rain forest in the early seventies was another, which had to be terminated because of the impending disaster to the much-valued forest.

If these areas in Diytatalawa were grasslands in the past, what is the guarantee that indigenous species will flourish in this environment? Dr Gunatilleke states in his article that if these forests are to be replaced, it must be done through a systematic replanting process with suitable local species of plants using succession-based principles and ‘relay floristics’. Only then a potential disaster of a failed replacement may be avoided.

As evidence, Dr. Gunatilleke refers to his own work in this field and the importance of learning from past experiences in Sri Lanka. Replacement of forests is a highly resource-intensive effort and should not be undertaken without due consideration of all these factors, and an assurance of adequate resources both financial and human.

The forest, apart from being a repository of biodiversity and an integral part of this planet, serves human needs in a multitude of direct and indirect ways; it emanates oxygen and absorbs carbon dioxide, acts as a watershed and catchment area for rain water, its biodiversity promotes the growth and development of plants and animals which form a part of the living environment of people, and generates firewood, timber and various other valuable natural materials.

As such forests are an essential part of human existence and we must be extremely careful and considerate in the decisions we make on changing forests. Such decisions must be directed towards avoiding potentially disastrous consequences and with the intention of promoting the well being of the forest and the people. Prevalent views and arguments, such as that all exotic species are intrusive and detrimental, and that they should be got rid of to restore our natural and original forests are facile at best, for it is doubtful, as records show that there were any forests in these areas before the establishment of exotic species.

Besides, tea, rubber and mahogany which are highly valued are also exotic species, and what of them? Instead, we must be guided by what is feasible and also good for the environment and the people who live amid and around them.

The very purpose of interfering with a natural or a man made forest must be questioned. Is it for economic reasons, to promote and sustain biodiversity, improve ground water retention and/or to increase forest cover? Before intervention, decision makers must reflect on these multiple aspects, and approach the subject cautiously based on scientific evidence as Dr. Gunatilleke points out, and not submit to emotional instincts and economic considerations of interest groups.

As a concerned citizen of Uva, I appeal to the relevant authorities to consider all aspects of a potential intervention in these forests. If a decision is made to replace these forests it must be done in a systematic and phased manner based on scientific evidence, the hindsight of past failed experiences, and seeking the advice of experts, thus giving it the best chance of succeeding. A failed experiment would be disastrous.

Much can be learnt from small-scale successful pilot projects initiated by entrepreneurs including the analog forest in Mirahawatta, Welimada. We have, in Sri Lanka many forestry experts and environmentalists including accomplished academics and those who have practical experience and vast knowledge, who should be relied upon to plan and implement such changes.

As a signatory to the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use at the ongoing UN Climate Change Conference, UK 2021, Sri Lanka has now an added responsibility and commitment to safeguard its forests.