Wed Mar 26 17:28:34 UTC 2025: ## Unauthorized Tree Planting Sparks Concern at Vellingiri Hills
**Coimbatore, March 27, 2025** – The Forest Department is stepping up checks at the base of the Vellingiri hills following concerns over pilgrims planting inappropriate tree species on the fragile ecosystem. Videos circulating online show pilgrims carrying and planting saplings, including peepal trees, in various locations along the trekking route. While the initiative is intended to promote greening of the hills, conservationists have voiced worry that introducing non-native species could disrupt the delicate balance of the unique Vellingiri ecosystem.
The Vellingiri hills boast a diverse range of habitats, including scrub jungles, dry deciduous forests, wet evergreen forests, temperate forests, and grasslands, as documented in a research paper by Murugesan, Balasubramaniam, and Kabeer. Planting the wrong species in the wrong terrain could have detrimental effects on this biodiversity.
District Forest Officer N. Jayaraj confirmed that one illegally planted peepal tree, highlighted in a video, was removed. He stated that pilgrims are only permitted to trek to the seventh hill for religious purposes and are prohibited from deviating from the designated route or engaging in unauthorized activities such as planting trees. Increased screening of pilgrims at the base of the hills will now be implemented to prevent further instances of unauthorized planting.
First Piper 