EarthSmiles.net - Stories - Trees on Lockdown

TREE PLANTATION DRIVES COMBAT DEFORESTATION, EROSION OF SOIL, DESERTIFICATION IN SEMI-ARID AREAS AND GLOBAL WARMING; BESIDES ADDING BEAUTY AND BALANCE TO THE ENVIRONMENT. ARE YOUNG PLANTATIONS SAFE UNDER THE LOCKDOWN?

Kolkata – All living things have all been affected in some way by the lockdowns across the world. It has been different, of course, for everyone. People now work more from home that ever before, while wild animals boldly enter urban spaces - which are now free from the noise and vibrations that kept them away, before COVID19 showed up.

And trees. City trees look greener and less dusty, without the incessant rain of dust and vehicle exhaust particles coating them, and full grown trees rarely need anything more than the sun to make their food, and that they have in abundance. Nurseries and sapling plantations, on the other hand, are like zoos – in the Zoo, while there are no visitors, the animals still need to be cared for and fed, so zookeepers are a sort of emergency service, keeping them vital and healthy. Similarly, young plants need their tenders – if they are absent, the saplings will die for lack care.

Our NGO kin, the Green for Life Foundation (Disclosure: G4L Foundation supports the work of EarthSmiles.net) plants urban forests in West Bengal and we know their emerging urban forest in Rajarhat, New Town, Kolkata - Earthsmilers being its first group of volunteers. The plantation is really like a very large nursery at this stage, full of young plants! Saplings which are planted, then must be nurtured (de-weeded, nutrients applied, watered,) in order to become a mighty, self-sustaining forest one day. With no activity other that essential services (tree nurturing wasn’t listed as one) during the lockdowns in Kolkata, we wondered how that project was faring, as only recently large tranches had been planted with saplings – which would definitely not survive over a month of lockdown.

So we reached out to one of the Trustees of the Foundation, Mr Raja Xavier, with a few questions and found out that the trees were all doing rather well!

Worried that the trees would suffer, two trustees, took the initiative of meeting Mr Debashis Sen, IAS, Chairman & Managing Director WBHIDCO Ltd (the corporation who owns the land of the plantation) and he personally assisted in providing special Lockdown passes which were needed for movement to the site, as well as to work during the period. With that solved, a trustee, Mr. Curtis Arathoon and a couple workers are going regularly and all the saplings are as green and healthy as ever, taken care of by the green warriors.

So what about the other large tree planting organisations in India? EarthSmiles.net reached out to SayTrees Bangalore, a group which finds a place in the Guinness’ Book of the World’s Records. After agreeing to answer our questions by email, they did not entertain further calls from this writer, despite being told he was on deadline. We shall update this write up in case we hear from them, soon.

What we asked SayTrees:
1. What are SayTrees most recent projects prior to the lockdown? (December 14, 2019, according to posts on their website)
2. How has the lockdown affected the projects?
3. Do you maintain trees (water, nutrients, weeding) planted by you, after a tree
planting event?
4. If so, how is this being done during the lockdown?
5. What are the main works your organisation is undertaking during lockdown?
6. Are there volunteers still participating?

Other big planters: We also rang the Head Quarters of Green Yatra, a pan India organisation, with tree planting as its prime focus. We were told by staff manning their official mobile number, that they were fully closed during the lockdown. What then, would become of the trees they just planted? Wouldn’t they wilt away, maybe even die? “Possibly,” was the answer, “but we are not doing anything now.” When asked again, the person repeated they could not do any maintenance at all.

The third organisation we contacted, Nelda, Pune got back to us. Shivam Ghule (Leader, Operations) emphasised that the organisation had no staff, whatsoever! They were totally volunteer based and volunteers approached the local authorities immediately on lockdown, who gave them permission to continue nurturing their existing plantations. So, thankfully, the trees in Pune are safe as in Kolkata!

Let’s hope there are more G4L Foundations and Neldas around, so that a tree once planted, can grow to its full oxygen-giving, carbon-sequestering potential!

Trees on Lockdown!

TREE PLANTATION DRIVES COMBAT DEFORESTATION, EROSION OF SOIL, DESERTIFICATION IN SEMI-ARID AREAS AND GLOBAL WARMING; BESIDES ADDING BEAUTY AND BALANCE TO THE ENVIRONMENT. ARE YOUNG PLANTATIONS SAFE UNDER THE LOCKDOWN?