Sakhipur, Tangail, is full of harmful eucalyptus and akasamoni trees, which are found everywhere, from government and private offices, educational institutions, both sides of roads, pond banks, and the edges of cropland. The government has already issued a notification from the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change banning the planting, harvesting and sale of eucalyptus and akasamoni tree seedlings. Although invasive species of eucalyptus trees have been banned, due to lack of awareness, no one is following the ban and no action has been taken. As a result, the environment and biodiversity are under threat.
Trees are an integral part of nature, friends of humans and one of the main components of the environment. There is no alternative to trees to keep the beautiful world environmentally friendly and habitable. Therefore, environmental scientists around the world have been loudly proclaiming the absolute necessity of at least twenty-five percent of the total land area of a material country to maintain balance. But not all trees are beneficial to humans or environmentally friendly. One such tree that does more harm than good to humans is the eucalyptus.
Environmental experts say that a eucalyptus tree absorbs 40 to 45 liters of water every day. In addition, the tree absorbs water from all around, occupying 20 to 30 feet of space at the base of the soil, which prevents the good yield of other crops and fruit trees. Moreover, this tree is not very helpful in the free distribution of birds flying in the open sky.
Even if the tree is cut down, it takes a long time for the soil to regain its fertility. Even when the flowers and fruits of this tree fall, there is an environmental disaster. When the flowers and petals of this plant are dispersed in the air, they enter the human respiratory tract and cause respiratory problems and heart disease. According to environmental scientists, eucalyptus is the most dangerous tree for Bangladesh’s climate.
Eucalyptus leaves contain a type of antiseptic that prevents small trees from growing under them. Insects and spiders also die. This tree is extremely harmful in an environment where all kinds of small and large trees, crops, and water bodies coexist. On May 15, 2025, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued a notification banning the production and planting of eucalyptus and acacia saplings in the country, as they are not environmentally friendly. But in reality, eucalyptus planting is going on across the upazila.
On the spot, hundreds of eucalyptus gardens can be seen in different areas of the upazila. Eucalyptus seedlings are being produced and planted extensively in all ten unions of the upazila. This has put the environment at risk. On visiting the markets, it is seen that seedlings of banned trees are being sold in large quantities. Al Amin and Abul Hossain, buyers of eucalyptus trees at Kirtankhola Chowrasta Bazaar in the upazila, said, “We bought some saplings to plant on abandoned land. We did not know that this tree is harmful to the environment and its sale is prohibited.”
Local nursery owners are not paying any attention to government rules and regulations in producing seedlings of banned trees. Because the profit from producing these seedlings is 2 to 3 times more than other forest or fruit seedlings. That is why they are producing more seedlings and selling them in the market. As a result, in vast areas, schools, colleges, homes, offices, courts, roads, playgrounds, markets, and even fertile fields of crops, along with vegetables, rice, wheat, potatoes, and mustard, the harmful trees eucalyptus and akasamoni are flourishing in large numbers.
Kamal Hossain, a nursery trader from Sub-Jailor Shola Pratima village, said he did not know anything about the government notification. We have not been informed by the Forest Department. If there is a government ban on any tree, we will not produce or sell it. The question of how sincere or proactive the local forest department officials are in stopping production or discouraging people from planting, or whether they have any monitoring at all, may arise in any conscious mind. All in all, the issue has raised concerns and worries among the local conscious community and environmental experts.
Hataya Range Officer Md. Abdur Rashid said, “A government notification has been issued banning the production, raising, planting and sale of eucalyptus and akasamoni tree seedlings. We have spoken to nursery owners and various social organizations to discourage the planting, buying and selling of these tree seedlings.” Upazila Agriculture Officer, Niyanta Barman said, “This year, about 2 million banned eucalyptus and Akashmani seedlings have been produced in the upazila. We have already spoken to the nursery owners and banned the production and sale of seedlings.” Activities to destroy harmful seedlings will be carried out within this week with the cooperation of the upazila administration.
When asked about this, Khairun Nahar Mallick Shifa, head of the ‘Plant Science’ department of Sakhipur Residential Women’s College, said that eucalyptus and acacia trees have been banned in many countries of the world as they are harmful to the environment. But because it is easily available and grows rapidly, it has spread widely in our country. He applauded the Bangladesh government’s move and said that if we want to maintain the ecosystem in our country, strict laws must be implemented to completely stop the planting of eucalyptus and akashmani trees.
