Tree census once the monsoons get over, using GPS

MUMBAI: Now, there will be no manual method of counting trees in the city. In a first-of-its-kind endeavour, the civic body will use Global Positioning System (GPS) to survey trees in the city. The tree census, which is carried out every five years, will start once the monsoons get over.

In the BMC’s tree census in 2006, approximately 20 lakh trees were found in the city.

“In this census, we will come to know the status of the tree cover in the city with details like its age, type, height, girth and roots. If there is a casualty at a place due to tree falling incident, we will come to know sitting in office about the type of tree that had fallen and we will replant the same tree on the spot,”said a senior civic official.

Other important aspects like rarity of species, health status and condition of trees will also be recorded in the census. The survey will show the amount of space each tree root requires and give information about the kind of plantation conducive in a particular area.

“We will soon invite tenders from private agencies to carry out the GPS survey and the agency will provide the machinery to each ward,” he said.