Keeping roots intact: In a first, Lahore gets a tree spade

Machine imported to avoid chopping down trees for development projects

LAHORE: No tree will die in Lahore from now on. Well at least that’s the plan. The city administration has imported a massive machine from the United States to relocate fully grown trees from one place to another.

The Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA), which looks after public parks and green belts, has imported the ‘tree spade’ costing a whooping Rs50 million to avoid chopping down trees to make way for development projects.

The tree transplanting machine, which can excavate mature trees having a specific trunk diameter, is the first machine of its kind in Pakistan, PHA Director-General Shakeel Ahmad told The
Express Tribune.



The tree spade comprises tree-planting spades that are installed in a big truck, which was imported separately from the Swedish manufacturer Volvo.

It took 18 months to import the equipment. Although Big John Manufacturing, a Nebraska-based agricultural machines supplier, had shipped the tree transplanting equipment in June, the truck’s delivery was delayed because of hurdles in its tender. Later, the authority had been waiting for the representatives of Big John to visit Pakistan to assemble the equipment on the truck and train the local human resource.

Ahmad said the tree spade was one of the most needed equipment required in Lahore to avoid indiscriminate felling of trees during development projects. Now the equipment is available in Pakistan for the PHA or any other private firm to acquire its services to transplant trees.

Aprille Browne, the Asia-Pacific regional manager for Dorian Drake International, told The Express Tribune that the company had sealed its first sale in Pakistan and expected more orders from the country.

She said the tree transplanting machine could easily relocate full-grown trees from one location to another suitable location. “We have sold around seven units in India and around 30 in other countries,” she added.

Browne claimed the survival rate of the transplanted trees was around 95% if proper safety measures were ensured.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 23^rd, 2016.