Tree park close to Vandalur set to be Chennai’s next big attraction

CHENNAI: A tree park coming up at Kolappakkam near Vandalur is set to be the newest attraction in the city.
Spread over 20 acres, the Forest Genetic Resources Tree Park will have plants found in the Western and Eastern Ghats where their presence keeps the temperature under control. While five saplings of 300 species from the two regions have already been planted, 150 trees of naaval (jamun or guava), iluppai and nuna species have been transplanted. Paneer, eeti, punnai, shenbagam, yetti, venthekku, rudhraksham, sandalwood, red sanders, vedippala, kadukkai, gooseberry, jackfruit, vengu, karungali, sengadambu, ettilingam, poovarasu, perumoongil, magizham and manjakadambu are among the species of trees that will soon flower all over the park.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (research and education) H Basavaraju told TOI that work on creating the park began last year and that seeds had been procured from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Bengaluru too.

The park, strategically located between the Vandalur reserve forest and the Nedunkundram lake, is expected to become another green lung in a city starved of green spaces. It will have a canal, complete with an U-shaped island, to ensure that the flow of rainwater from the hills is not obstructed. While water from a hillock on the southern side will enter the canal and flow into the Nerkundram lake, which could become an important water source, four checkdams to be constructed along the entire length of the canal will help retain water even during the peak summer days. It will be fully secured with a perimeter wall around it, he said.

The park will benefit researchers looking to study different species as well as help create awareness among members of the public. It has two sheds for visitors, an interpretation centre for the public and a fountain in the middle. Coming up at an estimated Rs 1.85 crore, the park has been allotted Rs 7.5 lakh per year for maintenance for a two-year period, Basavaraju said.