After Hugo Francis Andrew Wood had been published in the hills enclosing Coimbatore from the 1900s, he used to put on a top with four pockets comprising teakwood seeds and then walk with a pole from the book forest in Topslip daily.
He’d scatter the seeds in the region and made a teakwood forest in Topslip close Pollachi that was totally ruined by the British authorities earlier Wood’s arrival.His donation is recalled till today.
So to indicate the 151st birthday of their British woods officer, forest officials paid their respects to Wood’s tomb at Topslip at Coimbatore on Saturday.
Frontline staff by the Topslip woods array decorated the volcano with flowers and saluted into the late British woods officer Hugo Wood.Born on June 12, 1870, to parents at Bombay presidency.
After connecting the royal woods service (IFS) in 1890, received his specialist training in Royal Indian Engineering College in Cooper’s Hill, came to India in 1893.
He functioned in Madras Presidency to his retirement in 1926, holding a variety of positions like the assistant conservator of forests, deputy conservator of forests and after the conservator of forests in 1918.
Before the British came, several rosewood and teakwood trees have been found at the Anaimalai book forest from the Coimbatore district.
The British axed down them and shipped to Bombay to build ships to the British Royal Army.
The whole woods in Anaimalai was ruined by the British between 1800 and 1900.
The Mount Stuart Tramway had been utilized to transport wood from Topslip throughout Parambikulam.
Back in 1915, Hugo Wood has been appointed at the Coimbatore district.
Appalled by the devastation, he concentrated on developing teakwood trees from the Anaimalai woods.
After the British authorities approached him to strand trees to the building of boats for World War I, he didn’t permit it.
He worked at Anaimalai until 1919.
S Ramasubramanian, the conservator of forests, Thanjavur circle, told TOI that without Hugo Wood, the dense woods the Anaimalai slopes boasts now would not happen to be a fact.
“Huho Wood’s epitaph read,’In case you wish to see me, then look ‘.
He dedicated his entire life for the woods and that he died to the woods,” explained Ramasubramanian.
Hugo Wood died at age 63 at Nilgiris district and his entire body was first buried in Topslip near Pollachi at Coimbatore district.