Chandigarh learns Sec 33 Park’s Novelty

CHANDIGARH: A tree walk was organised by Chandigarh Tree Lovers (CTL), a citizen’s group, which was created to spread awareness about city’s unique heritage of trees, in the Terraced Garden, Sector 33 on Sunday morning. Around 50 residents participated in the walk that started by 7.30am.
The walk was organised keeping in mind the preservation of the green heritage of the city.Changing tree plantation patterns in the city were discussed amid the participants. The relevance of certain tree species with respect to the city was explained to the partcipants by the experts. For instance, Conifer shrubs, considered to be a green wall, were planted at Sukhna Lake to create a sense of enclosure. Similarly, there is a 7km single-species stretch of Kusum trees on the road from Rock Garden to Mohali as this species provides ample shade and grows quickly.
Participants held a detailed discussion with the tree experts on the shredding of leaves of particular trees during the spring season in northern India. Retired IFS officer Harsh Mitter, explained, “We fall in the deciduous forest area. Those trees belong to the coastal regions. They need more water whereas humidity in our area is low. As a result, trees shred their leaves to decrease their workload.”
Harsh Mitter also discussed the health of trees in the areas facing water shortage “These days, you can collect the sticky mass fallen from the trees that is sugary in nature. That’s due to trees secreting too much glucose as a result of improper supply of water. With the onset of rains, normalcy is restored.”
“Chandigarh’s original plan had meticulously included landscaped areas, recreational areas and tree-lined roads, avenues and gardens spread all over the city. Plantations were planned as per the direction of sun.” said Rajnish Wattas, president at CTL.
“Demands of the growing population have led to certain deviations from the original plan. In contrast to the biodiversity, monoculture is being encouraged today. As a unique interest group, we share and exchange information to preserve the landscapes of the city,” Wattas added
Retired executive engineer, horticulture department in Chandigarh administration Harjit Singh explained that as per the original plan, spanning trees were planted on the vertical roads as those roads faced the sun during the morning and evening hours. Tall trees were planted on the horizontal roads such as Madhya Marg. However, in the second phase of plantation, tall trees were planted on vertical roads connecting sectors 36 to 37, 37 to 38. However, with the passage of time, even those tall trees have developed canopies.
A TOI initiative, the Chandigarh Tree Lovers was formed in 2016. It has organised numerous tree walks aimed at raising awareness about the preservation of Chandigarh’s unique green heritage. Rajnish Wattas and Harjit Singh have also co-authored a book titled ‘Trees of Chandigarh’.