Urban forestry

On World Environment Day, Union Environment Minister, Shri Prakash Javadekar, announced a scheme to develop 200 “Nagar van” across India in the next five years, which are small pockets of forest inside the city boundary. The Scheme which will be enforced by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) encourages people’s participation and collaboration between the Forest Department, Municipal bodies, NGOs, Corporates and local citizens. (Ministry of Environment, 2020)

This move comes under the vast program by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to encourage Urban Forests in cities to solve the pollution problem, the UNCCD executive director, Mr. Thaw said that “Is it not time, that we realize that we need nature more than nature needs us, if at all. Is it not time, that we have the humility to rethink and redefine our relationship with nature? Perhaps, it is time for humanity to have a new social contract for nature.”

What is Urban Green?

Urban forests or Urban Green can be defined as networks or systems comprising all woodlands, groups of trees, and individual trees located in urban and peri-urban areas; they include, therefore, forests, street trees, trees in parks and gardens, and trees in derelict corners. Urban forests are the backbone of the green infrastructure, bridging rural and urban areas and ameliorating a city’s environmental footprint (FABIO SALBITANO , et al., 2016).

An Urban Forest can be a valuable sustainability-planning tool because of the wide range of economic, environmental, and social benefits it provides. The social and psychological benefits have been proven in numerous research studies (Wells, 2019).

Historical relevance

The Romans were the first civilization to recognize the benefits of rural features within a city; from the Campus Martius that was transformed into plush parkland by Augustus, incorporating lakes and space for recreation & leisure; to the ‘horti’ (urban villas within a park) created by wealthy Romans (Anon., 2016). Even the Mughals who ruled India for more than two centuries and were known for their intricate designs and taste for luxury, could not ignore the urban greens which they integrated into their architecture and became a vital component, each Mughal structure had a lavish and structured garden along with fountains and ponds. Ancient Babylonian text, Hammurabi 's Code of Laws, outlines an imposition of a fine of 50 feet to cut the tree without the owner's permission, is the earliest written evidence for a practice of legally protecting urban trees.

Urban Foresting Company

Afforestt, an Indian company developed by Shubhendu Sharma, works with a method that makes forests grow 10 times faster than average. The company uses a method developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, which, unlike commercial forestry, plants only native varieties of trees in selected ratios and sequences, creating multilayer, maintenance-free forests and 100 percent self-sustainable ecosystems. In the British era, forestry in India meant building forests that could produce crops. Forest research institutions have therefore not been able to focus on native tree species which are essential for the local biodiversity to flourish and are more suitable to the climate, thus reducing hustle to grow and skipping the cost of extra care.

Location of Urban Greens

Tree species and location must be carefully considered so they do not become unsustainable to maintain. Trees can cause direct, or indirect infrastructure damage to structures or require high maintenance. Poorly placed trees can increase energy consumption by shading properties. They can also detract from a resident’s enjoyment if they overpower the landscape, drop excessive fruit or pose a perceived risk. (Wells, 2019). In the right spot, trees can both help make our air healthier and our cities more verdant and liveable. Globally, tens of millions of lives could be saved if cities invest an average of $4 per resident annually in planting urban trees. (TheNatureConservancyIndia, 2020)

In Urban Planning perspective the role of Urban Green is to provide the necessary recreational facility along with environmental benefits without much interaction with the species of plants or animals, as ill-placed greens can disrupt the living space of a person as the overlapping habitat of insects or other animals which can take place which can cause an unnecessary nuisance. To avoid such incidence the preferred location of Urban Greens should have a buffer area (mostly by road) from the other residential land use. Also, it should be placed in a low-lying area so the rainwater seeps into these green pockets reducing stormwater runoff by enhancing soil infiltration and evapotranspiration.

The city should benefit from the facility so it should be located in distinct areas of the city as that the influence buffers made by these greens will cover entire the city. For a tree its area of influence (space around it which will get its benefit) is within 100 feet radius, so a similar radius can be achieved for Urban Forest depending on different sizes and plantations of trees. The main objective of Urban Green is to mitigate the adverse effects of pollution and that can be  Maximized by planting pollution reduction trees in areas where Density of people and also air pollution overlaps(Both density and pollution levels are high) which will also give a high return on investments in the long run, as a polluted neighborhood decreases its value over time which can be avoided this method so placing a huge advantage for citizens to accept and maintain the Urban Greens.

Access to water

The limitation of Urban Green can be the access to a sufficient amount of water required for the forest to grow, local authorities can face a huge problem when a situation arises where the city is facing a water crisis or the supply of water is limited. Though a large amount of water will be required only during the initial phase of the project as later the forest will be more self-sufficient.

Research has found that water quality is strongly related to runoff. Stormwater flows into the community’s stormwater system or flows directly into the urban streams, lakes, or wetlands. Before reaching a stormwater system or waterway, stormwater picks up and transports loads of nutrients, heavy metals, organic pollutants, and other harmful substances from roadways, sidewalks, yards, and homes. (Dr.U.Vilhar, 2016)

Conclusion

The value of one square meter of land seems at first sight much higher if for the "grey" infrastructure it can be used. But green infrastructure is increasingly recognized as having a high (tangible and immaterial) value. In any community development judgment, the general advantages and costs – threefold – in preferring one land over another will be taken into consideration

To view the full paper

?https://www.academia.edu/43326134/Urban_forestry_The_New_form_of_Open_Space?source=swp_share

Footnotes

Urban rumbles

Guidelines on urban and peri-urban forestry, Food and Agriculture Organisation

Ministry of Environment, Government of India

Press Information Bureau