Ghaziabad: The city known for its high pollution levels may finally get to know how green it is.
The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) has submitted a proposal to conduct a tree census in Ghaziabad, which will not only count the number of trees, but also check the health of the green cover.
The proposal will have to be approved by the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) and the forest department before work can start.
Akash Vashishtha, who has submitted the proposal on behalf of Intach, said while the Forest Survey of India carries out bi-annual studies in all districts, it is different from a tree census, as the latter will also take a look at the health of the trees in the city.
According to activists, a tree census can help when it comes to planning and development and also protecting heritage trees.
The study involves an on-the-spot survey, assigning of GPS tags to trees and marking its location on a GIS map.
An area-wise data base is prepared with details of species, possible age and overall health of a tree.
Manu Bhatnagar, principal director, Intach, said: “A tree census suggests to the development agencies on the need to plant a particular species in a locality.” For example, Bhatnagar said, Ghaziabad has many eucalyptus trees.
“But these are not native to the area, require a lot of water and the canopy area is not big.
So, given the topography and climatic condition of the area, these tress are not best suited for the city,” he added.
The tree census will help determine the best species of trees to plant “For Ghaziabad, trees with more water retention capacity, that is, trees which are not water intensive or guzzle water are best suited given its depleting ground water table,” said Bhatnagar.
“In view of the grim air pollution levels, trees with greater carbon absorption quality are required but instead, what we see is ornamental plants dotting parks and roadside,” he said.
A vital aspect involved with tree census is keeping tabs on the health of trees.
“Many trees may be infested with pests.
When a tree census is conducted, the health of a tree is monitored and remedial measures are taken to restore it,” he added.
Vashishtha, who runs an NGO called Society for Protection of Environment and Biodiversity (SPEnBIO), said: “Tree census is not a new concept as it has been taken up in phases in cities like Delhi and Pune.” The State of Forest, 2019, report says Ghaziabad district, with an area of about 1,179 sq km has a forest cover of about 25.2 sq km, which is about 2.14% of its area.
The district showed a negative growth of forest cover of 0.8% in 2019 compared to 2017 assessment.
A GDA official said a proposal for a tree census has been submitted to the authority.
“It will require vetting by the GDA board and once it is approved, it can be undertaken,” said an official from GDA’s horticulture department.