Thiruvananthapuram: Every tree in Thiruvananthapuram city will be studied by the Kerala Forest Research Institute at Peechi to create the city’s tree management plan. The project to be funded by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is an extension of the study of trees the KFRI had undertaken in five Thiruvananthapuram wards in July 2016. The report of the 2016 study funded by the State Planning Board has not been submitted.
It is learnt that the report will have a list of trees that need to be felled and pruned before monsoon. The trees which have been covered in the report are along the primary and secondary roads of Pattom, Pangode, Melamcode, Mannanthala and Thirumala. The cutting of trees has long been a bone of contention in the city. Indiscriminate felling of trees for developmental projects has robbed the city of some of its precious green cover. The public have often expressed their anxiety over trees that seem to be prone to toppling. However, only a scientist who knows tree architecture will be able to understand which one is a dangerous tree and which one is not.
It was these concerns which warranted a scientific study in 2016. The report will be delayed even if it is submitted before the next monsoon. However, it is not outdated, according to T.V. Sajeev, senior scientist, department of forest entomology, KFRI. He had led the study team which consisted of silviculturists, pathologists, entomologists and GIS expert. The GIS expert was to help map the trees for the 2016 project.
