The 'Chipko Andolan' also known as ‘Hug the Trees Movement’ started after an incident in a village called 'Reni' in Garhwal in the early 1970's. A logging contractor had been permitted to cut down trees in a forest close to that village, but the inhabitants didn’t want the trees to be cut down as they felt it would harm their environment. However, one day, when the male members of the village went out for work, the contractor's workers came in the forest to cut down the trees. In the absence of the male folks, the women of the village came to the forest quickly and hugged the tree trunks with their arms, thereby preventing the workers from cutting down the trees. This brave step of the women saved the forest trees. Soon, the Chipko Movement spread across all the communities and helped in the conservation of forests.