Shade and survival: Trees we lost

Manu Moudgil

The intense heatwave has broken numerous past records, putting the most vulnerable at a greater risk of health and livelihood crises. Although global heating plays a significant role, yet we cannot overlook the drastic changes in local landscape that have made our cities more hostile.

Instead of trees, ponds and open grounds, our cities are packed with concrete, asphalt and tiles. Trees cool the air by shading roads from the sun’s rays and releasing moisture through transpiration, similar to how sweating cools our skin. Several studies have found that trees can reduce temperatures by 4-8 degrees, besides reducing air pollution. Larger the canopy, greater the cooling and purifying potential.

Decreasing green cover

In Chandigarh, open spaces declined by 39 per cent, forest and vegetation area by 4 per cent, and agricultural and shrubland reduced by 37 per cent, while the built-up area increased by 104 per cent between 1990 and 2020, found a study done by researchers at Panjab University. Overall, ecosystem services decreased by 2.54 per cent due to rapid urbanisation. Ecosystem services include climate regulation, erosion control, pollination, nutrient cycling, besides other benefits of a natural environment. It’s the same story across India. Bengaluru lost 88 per cent of its forest cover and 79 per cent water cover while constructions increased by over 1,000 per cent in the past 50 years. Mumbai lost 2,028 hectares of urban tree cover between 2016 and 2021.

A study done in Bengaluru found that the presence of trees on roads lowered ambient air temperatures by up to 5.6 degrees, road surface temperatures by up to 27.5 degrees and sulphur dioxide levels by 65 per cent. While we are losing big traditional trees and groves to urbanisation, ornamental trees with smaller canopies and manicured gardens are becoming the mainstay of landscaping. Beyond the environmental impact, we are also losing the rich heritage of lexicon, games and folklores around trees.

Intimate companions of past

Trees have long been intertwined with our life cycles. We planted trees to mark the birth and death of family members, underscoring their utilitarian and nurturing contribution to life. Besides providing shade, fruits, wood for structures, fodder for animals, leaves and buds for cooking, nutrients for soil, they also played a crucial role in herbal medicines. The raised platforms built around sacred trees served several social, spiritual, economic and cultural uses. Even today, trees provide a cool vending space to so many vegetable sellers, food stall owners, rickshaw-pullers, drivers and barbers.

Groves of fruit trees were vibrant community spaces and several places were named after them. Ambala derives its name from amb-wala (land of mangoes), while Hazaribagh in Jharkhand stands for a massive mango grove with thousands of trees. In Bengaluru, Halasur got its name from jackfruit orchards and Wadala in Mumbai indicates a banyan grove. Jandwala, Tutwala, Kikarwala, Pipli, Tahliwala, Banwala are just a few of the several places named after trees. The importance of trees was not lost on kings too.

“Historically, rulers and emperors planted trees on roadsides to provide shade and fruit for weary travellers and marching armies,” write Harini Nagendra and Seema Mundoli in their book ‘Cities and Canopies: Trees in Indian Cities’. “In North India, roadside trees were considered important along major highways, as they shielded passersby from the hot summer winds, or ‘loo’ ...the winds brought dust that choked the caravans on the road and the extreme heat cracked the road. Trees on the roadsides protected the passengers as well as the road itself.”

Sher Shah Suri planted large fruit-bearing and shade-giving trees along the Grand Trunk Road, a practice continued by Mughal emperors. Today, the same road (renamed as National Highway 44) bears a barren look due to continuous expansion.

The grey area

India is witnessing heightened construction activities at the cost of trees, farms, ponds, and scrub land, thus replacing the permeable green, blue, and brown land cover with an impervious grey of concrete or black of tarmac. The construction area in India has increased by 2.5 million hectares in the last 17 years, according to an assessment by the National Remote Sensing Centre, ISRO.

Another study found that around 5.6 million large trees disappeared from farms between 2018 and 2022.

“As landholdings are diminishing with each generation, farmers want to maximise the harvest. Large trees, which can obstruct sunlight and impact the crop yields, are often felled to ensure better farm productivity,” says KS Bains, a farmer.

A greater impact is visible in cities where the rise in population has turned land into the most valuable asset, leaving little space for trees. Ajay Mittal, who runs the ‘Each One, Plant One’ initiative in Kolkata, says the biggest challenge for their plantation drives is finding adequate space. “We can’t plant a peepal or a banyan tree in dense areas because they grow and spread extensively. With cables, both underground and overhead, and increased built-up areas, we have to opt for trees with a smaller spread,” he adds. “The widespread use of paver blocks also weakens the trees as there is little space for water to percolate and hence, rot sets in the root system. Many a time, the felled trees are not replaced by new saplings.”

Changing definition of green

While we are losing out on traditional groves and big trees, ornamental trees with sparse and smaller canopies are finding favour in the plans of horticulture departments. Royal palm is one such tree which tends to grow fast, but has a small canopy. These are also more susceptible to falling during storms because the roots often don’t go deep enough. Several real estate projects are adding ‘palms’ to their names as the tree has come to be associated with luxurious living spaces. While gated communities might be adopting palm for marketing purposes, their plantation on roads and public parks raises many questions.

“Planners tend to prefer ornamental trees because they cost more and hence, maximum cut can be made from the funds. A peepal, neem or banyan can be bought within Rs 20-30. Why would they prefer these trees, howsoever beneficial they might be?” asks Rahul Mahajan, a horticulturist in Chandigarh tricity region. Another preference of city planners is for trees that grow fast and hence can add to the green cover, but these are also more vulnerable. “Chukrasia is a fast-growing tree that is currently favoured in Chandigarh. It grows within two-three years and has replaced many native trees. But it is more susceptible to storms and does not have a long life,” says Mahajan.

Lack of initiative on the part of planners and developers to consult the locals while deciding upon the tree species is another reason for gaps in implementation. When they do talk to people, they restrict themselves to a certain class. “Rarely do planners consult those who live in shanties, in small homes, walking on hot treeless streets, living on the margins and depending on trees as screens behind which they can bathe or use as a toilet, for food, firewood and medicines that supplement what they cannot afford to buy,” says Seema Mundoli, assistant professor of environmental sciences at Azim Premji University and co-author of ‘Cities and Canopies’.

Besides public spaces, trees are also disappearing from private houses. “People love greenery but not big trees in their backyards because these bring along leaf and fruit litter, reptiles, rodents, insects and bird droppings,” says Bains. “Since most families are not making good use of a tree, it starts feeling like a nuisance, especially when the space can be used to store goods or park a car.”

But all is not lost yet as there are small pockets of attitudinal change with the help of environmentalists and professionals.

Wonder of trees

There are tree groups springing up across India through which people explore trees of their cities with the help of experts. Many of the participants also veer towards activism.

“Many citizens and activists come out to protect trees — even if it is just one. But while science and activism are necessary, they will not be sufficient when it comes to protecting trees. We also need cultural, social, spiritual and economic dependence or interactions with trees,” says Mundoli.

Verhaen Khanna, founder of New Delhi Nature Society, has been encouraging greater engagement with trees through nature walks and tree-climbing activities. “City kids don’t climb trees because they are either scared or adults tend to prune the lower branches, thus making it impossible to climb,” Khanna says. “With our tree-climbing events, children become comfortable with trees and subsequently explore various species in their neighbourhood, besides getting involved in plantation drives.”

Architects are also incorporating green concepts in building plans. “Depending on the plot size, the owners choose big or small trees. Those with larger plots continue to opt for both fruit-bearing and ornamental trees. We often suggest trees that can provide shade to the house, offering natural cooling,” says Siddhartha Wig, partner at The Elements, a sustainable architecture firm.

There is a large segment of people who get hooked to the wonder of trees online and start documenting them. Environmentalist Siddharth Agarwal started #fiftytrees in 2018, which led to many people participating from across India. They identified, mapped and appreciated trees in their cities. “The exercise required the participants to stop and notice the trees around them which they would have otherwise missed,” says Agarwal. “Some went on to start tree walks, encouraging others to value surroundings.”

Perhaps the need then is to rediscover trees as social spaces of intrigue and amusement for the changing times.

— Moudgil is an environmental writer