RAUB: Over the past three days, enforcement officers armed with chainsaws have felled approximately 1,000 durian trees in a large-scale operation at Sungai Ruan and Sungai Klau near here, leaving hundreds of farmers stunned.

Once-vast orchards filled with decades-old durian trees, many of the prized Musang King variety, now lie in ruins — reduced to fallen trunks, one after another.

The tree felling, which began on April 8, targeted durian trees planted on unlawfully occupied land as part of the state government's crackdown on illegal land use in the district.