Nail assault rampant on roadside trees

Holding up every computer print-out, laminated sheet of flex board in place on these trees are fistfuls of nails or their latest clones, outsized staples. So what, retorts everyone engaged in this free publicity medium.

The trees are big and their bark is thick, while “the nails used are very small. Hardly one third of their length pierces the bark.” The chances of the nails penetrating the cambium are slim, argue the perpetrators.

The fallacy of this argument is in plain view everywhere. In a majority of the cases, the nails  used are sturdy, not small. They are hammered right to the hilt and their entire length is embedded in the tree trunk.  A few advertisers may tie tin or flex boards with string and some use paste but a few drive nails ruthlessly into tree trunks to put up their signs,” said Deepak Reddy of RT Nagar.

“Even the postal department has nailed its letter box to a tree near Ulsoor Lake. It is high time that the authorities stop this kind of insensitivity towards trees,” said Sugathan who works in the area.

R Seshadri, who organised a campaign against nailing last year, said though he had sent representations in this regard to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the authorities had not responded. If the nail goes deep, it might lead to rapid fungal infection to such an extent that the tree might wilt, said Seshadri.

When Deccan Herald contacted the Bangalore University Botany Department Chairperson, Prof S R Ambika on this issue, she said the tree would be affected only when the nail is pierced the phloem and xylem areas.  “If it  reaches beyond bark, it will lead to ejection of exudates.  This will breed fungus and insects and kill it gradually,” said Ambika.

Admitting rampant nailing on trees in the city, BBMP Tree Officer M R Suresh said the BBMP was yet to take up this issue very seriously. “We do not have stringent rules to take firm action against these violations in the city. What we are looking at is to penalise the offenders after framing rules in this regard,” he said. He also pointed to the need for constituting a green committee to look into all issues pertaining to city environment.
DH News Service