Non-Native Trees, Poor Planning Create Chaos in Summer

Hyderabad: Every year, trees fall under the impact of rains and gales, either in the monsoon season or unseasonal events, causing roadblocks, breaking electric lines and damaging property. “We’re building concrete pavements with tiles and tight spaces for tree's growth with no open soil around tree bases,” Kolli said. “The shift to fast-growing, ornamental trees that offer no food or shelter is not just weakening tree cover, it's pushing away bird species that made the city their home.” said Sriram Reddy, a birdwatcher. For example, near lakes, we need water-loving species but if those aren’t available at planting time, we plant the next best alternative.” “Often, the best time to plant is October or November, but by then the rainy season is over, so we are forced to plant earlier in June, July, or August.” He said the trees, which are falling now, were planted years ago. We can estimate green cover using satellite images, but we don’t know the exact number or types of trees planted over the years,” he said.