Translocating trees and not felling them seems to be the watchword in a road-widening project in Gadag. The Forest Department division in Gadag and its district administration are embarking on a major project of translocating trees to facilitate road widening of National Highway 63.
The initiative, which has been taken up after a pilot project in Gadag, is now all set to be extended to encompass at least 500 trees. Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and district-in-charge H.K. Patil took a personal interest, and now a task force is being formed to execute the translocations.
During the pilot project, first a trench was dug around the tree to be transplanted. It was watered for three days. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
In the pilot project, five trees were translocated to the bund of the Bhishma lake in Gadag. A representative from OSAI Environmental Organisation, Coimbatore, was involved in the initiative. Divisional Forest Officer Yashpal Ksheersagar told The Hindu that while there were examples of translocation of trees without foliage, this initiative was done with foliage.
The new home of the 500 trees will be the campus of the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj University coming up in Gadag. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah along with Mr. Patil watched the transplantation of a tree on Sunday, for widening of NH 63 between Hubballi and Hosapete.
Once removed from its original habitat, the tree is placed horizontally and transported to its new habitat. Precautions are taken to prevent root infection. After transplanting the tree, it is watered daily for a month. “ Within a month of transplanting, the tree will shed its foliage and new leaves will sprout. It will take a year for it to get accustomed to its new habitat,” Mr. Yashpal said.
Earthmovers and cranes lifted the tree with its roots and placed it horizontally and transported along with the mother soil to its new habitat. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The translocation cost is anywhere between ₹6,000 to ₹20,000 for each tree depending on the distance. “While the pilot project was executed entirely by the forest staff, further translocation will require more manpower. The Forest Department team will give technical guidance,” Mr. Yashpal said.