TN forest dept to begin tree census in Chennai

CHENNAI: In a first of its kind, the Tamil Nadu forest department has prepared a proposal to conduct a tree census in Chennai city. The census will be carried out with the support of Centre for Floristic Research (CFR) and department of Plant Biology and Plant Bio-Technology, Madras Christian College.
The census aims at recording all species of plants growing in Chennai city and the number of each species.The census will also list the different threats faced by each of these species, D Narasimhan, reader, CFR, told The Times Of India.
"We have prepared a proposal and will submit it to the government for release of funds. The census would help the forest department in the selection of compatible plant species for afforestation programmes and also to save existing greenery in the city by controlling threats to the flora.
At present, the CMDA limits of the city, which extends beyond the corporation limits, has a forest coverage of 4.5%. The forest department has already taken up an afforestation programme through the planting of avenue trees. However, experts are apprehensive that the species selected for the urban afforestation programme are not suitable for Chennai’s climatic conditions. They say many of these species have the tendency to uproot even in a small gust of wind.
"We are now advising the forest department in the selection of the tree species. Once the tree census is completed, we will have a better idea about the flora variety in the city," Narasimhan said.
The census would also give the department a better idea about the adaptability of various plant species in the fast growing urban landscape and the methods of mitigation adopted by trees in their survival.
"We will carry out the census with the help of college students. The students will go around marking the trees, taking down the name of the species and other details. Every tree in the city will be counted and this will help in better conservation policies," Narasimhan said.
The state forest department also annually carries out a deer census in Guindy National Park.
praveen.kumar8@timesgroup.com