Trees in Bangalore to flaunt a new look soon

Trees in Bangalore to flaunt a new look soon
Deccan Herald

Trees in the city are now going to be surgically maintained. The trees will be pruned, trimmed and treated for various diseases.

After the trees in Lalbagh Botanical Gardens, the trees in Cubbon Park will now have surgery done on them to maintain shape and balance. The tree surgery project, which was initiated on a trial basis a couple of years ago, is now being extended to more trees in the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens and Cubbon Park.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Chairman, Mysore Horticultural Society and Director, Department of Horticulture G K Vasanth Kumar said, “A study was done on the trees in Cubbon Park by the Deputy Director, Horticulture, Mr Venugopal. A proposal was submitted to me and I have approved it. After a survey and initial preparation, the project should take off in Cubbon park too, maybe in one or two months beginning with the stretch in front of Vidhana Soudha.”

“While the first phase of the project will involve pruning of trees to give them shape and balance, later it will have identification of trees that are diseased or are weak and need surgery,” explained Mr Kumar. In this case, surgery would mean plugging holes in tree trunks or cutting diseased branches and treating the cut area with fungicide to prevent further spread, he added.

Tree surgery, a scientific process which is a part of arboriculture or urban forestry, looks at the science of developing and maintaining trees. “Under the science of arboriculture, it is ensured that the weight of a tree is not too heavy for its roots, that trees are maintained at a safe angle so as not to pose a problem for people and so on,” he said.

And instead of mercilessly cutting down trees, arboriculture offers a way for trees to coexist within the City with the urban demands of electricity and phone cables, he added.

While it recommends periodic pruning as is done in the UK and the US, to keep its growth ‘within limits’, tree surgery does not mean meddling with trees every year.