Nagpur: Have you ever heard of talking trees? If not, visit Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR) in Amravati district where the trees will not only welcome you but also speak with you.
The visitor will experience it through an app developed by MTR under project ‘Talking Tree’ with expertise from Sarang Sahebrao Dhote, an assistant professor with the chemistry department at JD Patil Sangludkar Mahavidyalaya, Daryapur.
“Trees in Melghat will speak to you after you download the app from Google Play Store and complete some basic formalities like preferred language and name. We have put QR codes and select numbers on the trees. Once you scan the QR code, the trees will welcome you and start speaking with you,” said MS Reddy, APCCF & field director of MTR.
“On a pilot basis, the project has been launched in Chikhaldara forest garden where 200 tree species including some shrubs have been given QR code and a unique number. After scanning the QR code, the trees will welcome you and start speaking to you,” said Reddy.
Dhote, who has conceptualized the app, said, “After scanning the QR code, the tree (app) will say, “Hello! Welcome to Melghat Tiger Reserve. Glad to see you today”. If you scan QR code or select the number on an almond tree, it will say “I am an almond tree. My botanical name is Prunus amygdalus. I am belonging to the Rosaceae family. I am native to Iran and surrounding countries” and give other information about it. It will also say other trees in the garden are also waiting to talk to you.”
According the field director, the project will be replicated at tourist complexes at Semadoh, Kolkhas, Sahanoor, Gullarghat and Harisal.
Dhote said he came up with idea for this app after his mother was deeply hurt by large-scale felling of trees for road widening in Daryapur. “She said how better it would have been if these trees were able to speak,” said Dhote.
“Another motive was to tell the next generation about these tree species. In a forest we can identify only popular trees like banyan, papal, neem, mango, etc. But how will the next generation know about other tree species? Hence this app,” Dhote told TOI.
Former Amravati honorary wildlife warden Vishal Bansod said they approached Dhote as he had developed a similar app for trees in his college premises on Science Day on February 22 last year. About the Talking Tree app, he said guides have also been trained to tell tourists about the app and how to use it. “The app is generating a lot of interest among visitors in Chikhaldara botanical park. The trees also talk about taking selfies,” he said.
Dhote has a doctorate in science but has developed many software and Android applications for research and environmental science. The app developed by him in February is registered for copyright.