Biodiversity Day: City gets its first tree ambulance with ‘doctor’ on call

The ambulance’s key features will be replanting uprooted trees, bringing down dead ones, relocating and treating sick trees, and reforestation programmes.

“As per norms, Chennai should have a 33.3 per cent green cover but now it’s below 30 per cent because of natural disasters over the past few years such as the floods and Vardah cyclone that destroyed a lakh trees. We aim to make up this deficit through the tree ambulance,” says Abdul. Suresh Krishna Jadhav, founder, SASA Group says, “With rising pollution levels and diminishing green space, it is vital for fully grown trees to be nurtured and protected.”

A ‘tree doctor’ will be on board to provide on-the-spot treatment to trees that have a pest infestation, broken branches, fungal infections and so on. “A farmer who is an expert in treating ill plants will provide first aid and treatment using gardening tools, water, manure and pesticide. Volunteers will be on board to help,” says Ghani. The tree ambulance will also serve as a seed bank and undertake distribution and plantation of saplings in schools, colleges, etc.

While it is important to repair damaged trees and plant new ones, it is even more essential to chop down dead trees, says Abdul. “During the flood, a couple died because a dead tree fell on them. So before learning how to plant a tree, one should know that even trees have a lifespan. Removing deceased trees to protect human and animal life is very important,” explains the banker-turned-environmentalist.

Similarly, trees can be shifted too in case of road widening projects or urbanisation. He explains, “Just like how a person uses a mover and packer to shift homes, our ambulance will facilitate the shifting of trees.” This will be possible from December, when phase two of the project will be complete. “We will completely automise the process of tree lifting and placing and include latest mechanical tools, fungicides and fertilisers,” adds Suresh.