More often than not, it is not the number of trees that determine how effective a city’s green cover is, but the choice of tree saplings and areas chosen for planting them that add value to the ecosystem. This was the point made clear by tree scientists, geneticists and experts here on Thursday on the sidelines of the first day of the two-day national conference on ‘Tree improvement research in India: Current trends and future prospects’ hosted by the Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST).
“Bengaluru has an overdose of gulmohar and jacaranda trees. They are beautiful flowering trees, but it’s not a good idea to have them lining important avenues as these softwood varieties do not endure the harsh weather,” said Surendra Kumar, director, IWST. “Their ‘fall-out’ rate is large, be it because of wind, rain or even road-widening … they fall apart,” he said.
It is not just the softness of the wood that makes the trees buckle under pressure, but their roots get damaged during road-widening, making them weaker. “If the government authorities are informed of this, they can replace the trees with other varieties that are stronger, to make soil health more meaningful,” Mr. Kumar said.
There are plenty of trees to choose from. “Pongamia ( Honge ) is a hardy alternative. These trees take only five years to reach a height of 10 metres. They can make up a canopy or be a stately addition to an avenue,” said K.S. Sugara, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Karnataka Department of Forests.
According to Mr. Sugara, Bengaluru could bring in varieties such as neem, bamboo, Burma bamboo, sandalwood and red sanders as avenue trees and also on vacant land, as these tree varieties help improve soil quality.
