Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has launched a dedicated “Tree Ambulance” service on World Environment Day.
The initiative, flagged off on June 5 at Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Udyan, is being positioned as an emergency response system for the city’s urban trees, many of which are under increasing stress due to rapid construction, pollution, and climatic extremes. As cities across India grapple with declining tree cover and escalating urban temperatures, PMC’s move is being hailed as a model for proactive urban environmental governance. Officials stated that the new service will be staffed by trained botanists, arborists, and horticulture experts tasked with diagnosing, treating, and maintaining the health of Pune’s tree population.
The tree ambulance is equipped with first-aid tools for trees, including wound-healing compounds, pruning equipment, and machinery to remove harmful elements like nails and boards hammered into trunks. It also includes water tanks and fertilisers to provide immediate relief to distressed trees in public spaces, parks, and roadways. According to PMC officials, the ambulance will operate on calls received through a soon-to-be-launched helpline, allowing residents to report cases of tree damage or neglect. From fallen branches and fungal infestations to damage from illegal signage or nearby excavation works, the service aims to deliver emergency care akin to how ambulances serve humans.
This initiative comes as urban ecologists continue to flag concerns over the alarming rate of tree loss in Indian cities. Pune, like many other Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities, has witnessed severe deforestation in key areas due to road widening, metro rail projects, and rampant real estate expansion. Experts warn that many old trees — vital for carbon sequestration, air purification, and biodiversity — are now increasingly vulnerable. Officials leading the initiative highlighted that the idea was not just about maintaining green cover but instilling civic responsibility and public engagement in tree conservation. “Urban trees often go unnoticed until they fall or wither. We want to change that by making their care visible and structured,” said one of the senior municipal officers involved in the programme.
PMC’s Garden Department, which will oversee the ambulance operations, has collaborated with environmental specialists to standardise treatment protocols and data collection. Each service call will be logged, and a follow-up health status of the tree will be maintained to ensure continuity in care. Furthermore, the Tree Ambulance is envisioned to become a hub for public education, especially among schoolchildren and college youth, who will be encouraged to participate in tree care drives and monitoring. One of the core components of the service will also be preventive care. Instead of waiting for emergencies, tree health surveys will be conducted in sensitive and high-traffic areas. Damaged bark, pest infestation, soil erosion near roots, and exposure to vehicular pollution will be systematically addressed. The initiative aims to treat not just visible injuries but also long-term stressors that may threaten the tree’s life span.
An additional concern addressed by the PMC is the widespread practice of nailing banners, lights, and boards directly onto tree trunks, a practice that often results in rot and disease. The Tree Ambulance team will carry out regular audits to remove such items and impose civic penalties where necessary. PMC also plans to engage Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), educational institutions, and corporate CSR teams in identifying and reporting trees in distress. A geotagged mobile app is in the pipeline to crowdsource data on tree health and map hotspots of environmental degradation in real time.
According to environmental experts, this type of grassroots response mechanism is the need of the hour. “With heat islands becoming a reality in cities like Pune, the loss of mature trees is no longer just a biodiversity issue — it is a human survival issue,” noted one Pune-based environmentalist. He added that public trust will be vital in ensuring the ambulance service succeeds and does not become symbolic. From a sustainability and climate perspective, this initiative also aligns with broader urban resilience planning. Trees mitigate flooding, cool the microclimate, reduce particulate matter in the air, and serve as habitat for birds and insects critical to urban ecosystems. By extending care to the trees that perform these vital services, PMC is not just conserving greenery but strengthening the city’s long-term climate defence.
While this is one of the first municipal tree ambulance initiatives in Maharashtra, similar models have been tried in parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka with mixed results due to funding and staffing challenges. PMC officials emphasised that theirs is a data-driven model with a strong citizen engagement component, which they believe will enhance transparency and accountability. Looking ahead, PMC aims to scale the initiative by introducing more vehicles and setting up decentralised care hubs in different city zones. There are also plans to launch a “Tree Census 2.0,” which will digitally catalogue every public tree and assign it a health ID for better tracking.
With World Environment Day serving as the backdrop, the Tree Ambulance rollout underscores a message that sustainability must be local, visible, and deeply integrated with city services. Pune’s effort may be a small step, but it offers a compelling example of how municipalities can merge science, governance, and public participation in service of green urban futures.
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