Planting trees: Green up the concrete

There is an urgent need to incorporate trees into the urban infrastructure

Human beings may no longer be as dependent on their natural surroundings for survival as they were a couple of hundred years ago but closeness to the natural world is still critical for their psychological well-being, stated American scientists Edward Wilson and Stephen Kellert in their 1993 ‘Biophilia Hypothesis’. As more and more trees are razed to the ground to make space for homes and industries in urban centres, it may not only harm the environment but also lower the quality of life for the general community. The best way to counter this damaging trend is through urban forestry — the plantation, care, management and harvesting of trees in an urban setting.

Pakistan, which has only 5.2% of its area under forest cover and lost a total tree cover of 10,022.4 hectare (ha) between 2000 and 2013, while gaining only 847.3 ha, can benefit particularly from urban forestry. Some of the different ways in which cities can be made green are:

Avenue Plantation

A major component of urban forestry is avenue plantation, which consists of roadside, canal side and rail side plantations. These plantations are visually pleasing, provide shade to pedestrians and help generate revenue for the concerned governmental organisations, such as the Forest Department or National Highway Authority. The plant species, however, should be selected according to the environmental conditions such as the soil type, temperature, precipitation, humidity, canopy cover, aesthetic value, availability of breed, rotation age and economical value.

Open spaces/parks

Urban parks, hanging gardens and wildlife parks are also important as they not only help in reducing air pollution but also provide recreational spaces for the community. The following tree species are most suitable for these purposes:

Crimson Bottlebrush

— Kingaroy Bottlebrush

— Weeping Bottlebrush

— Glory Bush

— Cross Vine

— White Sky Vine and

— Wisteria Floribunda Rosea.

There is a pressing need for the government and public to realise the socio-economic benefits of urban forestry and to initiate projects for expansion of roadside, canal side and rail side plantations on a governmental as well as non-governmental and community basis. Along with the concerned departments, such as the TMA/Contonment Board, City Development Authority, Forest Department, Highway Authority, investors and businessmen who are launching mega-scale residential colonies across the country should also include urban forestry practices in their plan. Instead of limiting their focus to the capital and metropolitan centres, a separate office should be set up under the municipal administration that can work in collaboration with the Forest Department to set up green cities across the country.

The following species are most suitable for plantation along national highways since they provide shade and curb air pollution by absorbing carbon dioxide:

— Peepal

— Paker

— Mango

— Neem

— Imli

— Jamun

— Shisham (used in loamy soil)

— Shisham (suitable for sandy soil)

— Neem

— Kanji

— Arjun (suitable for alkaline soils)

— Jamun, Arjun and Gond/Safaida are the best choices for water logged areas.

Khaksar Ali Hyder is currently pursuing his Bachelors in Forestry and Wildlife Management from University of Haripur.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, November 30^th, 2014.