Palike turns a new leaf, to use GIS to map trees

Having faced constant criticism for felling trees, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has now decided to explore the idea of ‘tree mapping’ using the Geographic Information System (GIS) system that has been mapping the properties in the City.

Sources said the tree mapping concept will be implemented on pilot basis in two wards of the City. “The idea is to see if the GIS system will be able to map trees. If successful, tree mapping will be extended to other wards under the BBMP jurisdiction,” said a Palike official. The GIS system will depict the actual species, height and girth of the trees in the area. A concept that has been making the rounds for the past one and half years, the tree mapping project has finally been allocated Rs 20 lakh in the Palike budget for 2012-13.

For the pilot project, the Palike has chosen wards which have the least number of trees and need afforestation projects. It may be recalled that tree mapping programme was mentioned in the Palike budget 2011-12. The project failed to take off and had now been taken up in this fiscal. As per the policy, the mapping is likely to be taken up in partnership with an NGO and provide an accurate and scientific database of the flora in the City.