Bengaluru Drafts Urban Tree Management Plan
BBMP’s tree management manual aims to protect the city’s dwindling green cover, ensure tree health, and enhance public safety.
A Step Towards Sustainable Urban Forestry
Bengaluru’s rapid urban expansion has significantly impacted its green cover, with trees often seen as barriers to development. To counter this, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has introduced the Bengaluru Urban Tree Management Manual 2024, a comprehensive 10-year plan designed to monitor, manage, and preserve the city’s trees. The initiative focuses on reducing indiscriminate tree cutting, preventing environmental damage, and balancing infrastructure development with ecological sustainability. Unlike forested areas, urban trees face unique threats, including root damage from construction activities and limited soil moisture due to hard paving. The manual aims to address these issues by setting guidelines for tree maintenance while enforcing stringent regulations against damage or neglect.
Protecting Trees from Human-Induced Harm
The manual defines a broad range of activities as “cruelty against trees,” including setting trees on fire, poisoning, excessive pruning, and physically harming saplings. Actions such as nailing, debarking, and encircling trees with barbed wire will also be penalised under the new framework. BBMP officials highlight that tree mutilation in Bengaluru has become a recurring issue due to rampant construction, road widening, and infrastructure expansion. To regulate this, maintenance work will now require prior approval from the BBMP Tree Officer, ensuring that tree health is prioritised. While the Karnataka Tree Preservation Act focuses on tree felling permissions, it lacks a holistic approach to urban tree care. This manual aims to fill the regulatory gap by promoting responsible tree management and safeguarding Bengaluru’s greenery from unchecked urbanisation.
Sustainability and Long-Term Tree Conservation
The sustainability aspect of this initiative is critical, as Bengaluru’s green cover continues to decline amid infrastructure development. The manual proposes systematic monitoring, biodiversity enhancement, and improved urban planting techniques to ensure trees are planted and maintained effectively. BBMP officials stress that unplanned tree planting and poor-quality saplings contribute to tree fall incidents, particularly during monsoons. The guidelines will streamline tree planting practices and introduce measures to increase urban biodiversity, ensuring that tree species are chosen based on their adaptability to the city’s conditions. Additionally, it mandates that construction projects integrate tree conservation efforts, thereby reducing the environmental footprint of urban development.
Regulatory Framework and Public Consultation
The draft manual will undergo a public consultation process before being formally adopted. A review committee, comprising experts from the Karnataka Forest Department and the Tree Expert Committee, will assess its provisions within 30 days of submission. The final approval will rest with the Urban Forest Council, which is expected to give its verdict within 45 days. Once implemented, the manual will supplement existing laws rather than override them, ensuring that tree conservation remains a structured, long-term priority for Bengaluru. By institutionalising urban tree management, BBMP is setting a precedent for environmentally responsible city planning, addressing civic concerns while promoting sustainable urban development.
