THENI: At a time when the focus is on afforestation, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department is facing a strange situation -- large scale felling of cotton silk trees in reserve forest areas in this district as these trees were found be causing extensive damage to the ecology.

About 10,000 trees raised by settlers in Varushanadu, Vellimalai and Megamalai hilly reserve forests have already been cut to protect the flora and fauna, official sources said.

They said the silk cotton trees, though providing a livelihood to the settlers, harmed the growth of herbal plants native to the hills and also turned out to be a parasite nourishing on the moisture and nutrition of the wild trees in the forest.

A silk cotton tree would suck water from four square metre range. Besides, when the pod of the tree bursts, it causes pollution and affects the health of birds and wild animals.

The department realised that if the rare trees, native to the hills perished, there would be a chain reaction affecting the fauna also.

Birds, squirrels and other species of animals would not get their food. The trees consumed a lot of ground water and would not allow other plants in the neighbourhood to blossom and grow, said an official.

The settlers were asked to take care of the forest, the wild animals and birds and go for afforestation by cultivating rare trees.

But they violated the guidelines and started burning the trees for charcoal. Besides, they started raising silk cotton trees which proved disastrous, an official said.