Safety for some, shackles for others. Tree guards, which are meant to protect saplings, end up becoming deterrents once they start outgrowing the protective cover.
Taking note of this, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has decided to grant permission to citizens and citizen groups to “free the trees” from the shackles of tree guards that are hindering their growth.
#FreeTheTree, a joint initiative by the civic body with the help of The Ugly Indian, will be launched soon, after which citizens and citizen groups will be allowed by the BBMP to remove unwanted tree guards.
Recently, with the help of The Ugly Indian and residents, around 17 trees in HSR Layout were freed from such guards.
BBMP Commissioner B.H. Anil Kumar, said in an online post, “Tree guards are used to protect saplings, but often choke the growing trees and require to be removed. BBMP will be more than happy to grant permission to such initiatives and we need more citizen participation.”
Environmentalist Vijay Nishanth, welcoming the decision of the BBMP, said it was important to remove the iron or steel tree guards at the right time in the right way.
“Tree guards, though important, become extremely difficult to be removed after the canopies grow to a particular girth and height,” he said. If not done at the right time, Mr. Nishanth pointed out, it would change the orientation of trees, hinder the growth, and might eat into the trunk space of the trees.
He suggested that the civic body make prudent use of technology to install such guards and then remove them.
“Once the BBMP installs the tree guards, they should note the location and date of installation, and come back after a stipulated time to remove them. They should also mention such details on the tree guards,” he said.
He also said one such initiative was taken up a couple of months ago near Vidhana Soudha where a group of people came together to remove tree guards.
“Along with removing the tree guard, treating the tress if any damage is caused is also extremely important. Otherwise, there are chances of infection and decay,” he added.
