COIMBATORE, TAMILNADU, 08/08/2013: Neem trees grown at a reserve site at SVL Nagar at Sulur near Coimbatore, in Tamilnadu. Photo: K. Ananthan
Six grand old neem trees got a new lease of life near Coimbatore airport, and tree crusader Syed Kattuva who has just overseen their move to another area explains the proccess of transplantation. “It’s like taking care of baby. It doesn’t stop with moving the trees. We also have to nurse them back to life.”
But it is a process that can be replicated anywhere, says Syed. And he is happy that the awareness about saving trees is growing. “Coimbatore Corporation is constructing a new bus stand at Vadavalli and the Commissioner has instructed the engineers to contact us in case if a need arises to cut trees. Similarly, the Assistant Town Planning Officer Saravanan called us to save some pungan trees. We have relocated them to a reserve site at Kovaipudur. We saved four neem trees at a factory in Pallagoundenpalayam. We moved a Naglaingam tree and a Shenbaga tree from a house in Saibaba Colony to a Goshala near Velliangiri. All these trees have survived. Highways ADE Manivannan called us to transplant four trees, including a 60-year-old Arasa Maram from Nanjappa Road. We will start work on it shortly and move them to PRS Grounds on Avanashi Road.”
Thanks to transplantation, over 25 trees on the Coimbatore- Pollachi Road have found a new home in the RI office at Kovilpalayam, Disha School in Achipatti, Firebird Institute in Chettipalyam, Rathinam RIPS School and Rathinam College besides a Corporation Reserve site. Syed says he has had the satisfaction of saving 10 trees, including a sandal, at the Government Hospital premises, a vella vela maram at the Police Commissioner bungalow on Race Course and six trees in Telungupalayam. “We are willing to teach anyone, anywhere in India on how to transplant a tree. We can always share the videos through WhatsApp.
It’s team work, he says. “It gives a sense of achievement when we save those 50 or 60 year-old trees.”
Syed says he worries about the dwindling numbers of trees. “There is boom in housing, vehicles, and human population. We are eating into their spaces. By transplanting trees, development and Nature can co-exist. I make it a point to spend time with trees. Native trees like neem, pungan, banyan, and peepul were left behind by our ancestors; we have enjoyed their benefits. I want to save them for my children and my grand children. Every single leaf that sprouts from a transplanted tree motivates me to go on.”
COIMBATORE, TAMIL NADU, 10/04/2017: One of the six trees being uprooted from the Coimbatore airport premises to be replanted at another location on April 10, 2017, Photo: S. Siva Saravanan
The transplantation process
Prepare the soil
Dig a pit and fill it with vermicompost and layer it with coir pith and cow dung
Uproot the tree carefully with the help of suitable equipment after trimming the branches
Injured branches are healed by applying cow dung and tying them up with jute bags
Shift to its new destination
Wrap hay around the tree to help it retain moisture and rejuvenate. It takes anything between 60 and 90 days for the tree to take firm root.
The process takes about a week
Syed can be contacted at 84288-59911.
COIMBATORE, TAMIL NADU, 10/04/2017: One of the six trees being uprooted from the Coimbatore airport premises to be replanted at another location on April 10, 2017,
Photo: S. Siva Saravanan
Branching out
Planting trees at Corporation Reserve sites
Identifying sites with water facilities nearby and plant native species
Bio-fence the area with medicinal plants like Aadu thodai and Nochi
Involve the public, especially children, to get their hands dirty, and look after the trees
The trees will attract birds and other life forms
