About Tree Survey and Counting
Over half of the human population in Gujarat will live in the urban areas in the next decade. The urban
forests, woodlands, tree groves, parks and garden and setting of trees along streets and around
buildings not only moderate urban environment but also contribute significantly to improve quality
of human life. As a result, urban forestry advocates the role of trees as a critical part of the urban
infrastructure. Trees are usually selected, planted, trimmed, and nurtured by people, often with
specific intentions, in the urban areas. Thus, it has become necessary to know the status of tree cover
and also scope of improving it in the interest of people. In the background of this fact and also to provide
basic information for planning of future urban forestry in the state, it was decided to estimate tree cover
and also the status of trees in the urban areas.
Social Forestry Wing of the Gujarat Forest Department has taken several landmark initiatives, and
survey of trees in the rural areas in 2003 and then again 2009 to estimate Trees Outside Forest (TOF)
is such an initiative in the country. A comprehensive exercise to count trees in all cities and towns in
Gujarat in 2011 is another landmark initiative. In an era of rapid urbanization, increasing air pollution
and global warming, there is a need of social awareness campaign for the governance of urban systems
that work for improving tree cover in cities and towns. To assess the present tree cover and the status
of environment, it is necessary to estimate population of different tree species in cities and towns. Such
exercises were done in the western countries, including USA to monitor the environment of the major
cities. The Social Forestry Wing of Gujarat Forest Department decided to conduct total tree counting in
all municipal corporations and municipalities in Gujarat state in the late 2010. The meetings of the field
official were held and guidelines were issued. In Ahmedabad, the Municipal Corporation Authority also
joined hand in this exercise. The district level forest officers formed enumeration teams and conducted
training for collection of data. The total tree counting within boundaries of municipal corporations and
municipalities were done during 2011. The period of the counting was not fixed and it was done during
different periods, depending on availability of the time from their normal duty. The tree counting in the
state started in 2011 but was completed in somemunicipal corporations andmunicipalities in December
2011. Although verification of countingwas done in the late 2011 and also in January/February 2012, there
may be possibility of minor error in some municipalities due to the absence of boundary demarcations
on the ground. I hope that this document is first of its kind for urban areas in the country and may set
a trend for similar exercise in other parts of the country.
Dr. H. S. Singh, IFS
Addl. Principal Chief Conservator of Forest
Social Forestry, Gujarat State
