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some impact on the tree cover. As a result, tree
cover declined in 2008 due to cutting of trees to
facilitate development and then again improved
in 2011 to the level of 3,075 ha. Recently,
tree cover improved in GEB complex and near
Lekawada areas but declined in the area from
Town Hall to Gandhi Convention centre and in
the area of pond construction in Sector-1.
Tree population
The first systematic tree counting in all cities
and towns of Gujarat, including Gandhinagar
city was carried out in 2011. Some attempt
was made in the past to count trees and plants,
including new plantations but such records
do not seem to be adequately compiled to
present a picture. Systematic counting of trees
having Girth at Breast Height (GBH) above 10
cm was done in all sectors and other areas in
Gandhinagar, and a total of 8.67 lakh trees were
counted. In addition to the trees, the number of
established trees having height above 2.0 m but
GBH below 10 cm was 4.80 lakh. The number of
young plants or seedlings having height below
2.0 m was estimated to be 9.81 lakh.
A total of 226 species of trees were counted
in Gandhinagar but few of them dominate in
Table-12: Tree population of the main tree species
Tree species
Botanical name
No of
trees (in
Lakh)
Tree species Botanical name No of
trees
(in Lakh)
1. Neem
Azadirachta indica
1.72 11. Nilgiri
Eucalyptus sp.
0.17
2. Garmado
Casia fistula
0.84 12. Amala
Emblica officinalis
0.16
3. Gandobavad
Prosopis chilensis
0.79 13. Pinkesia
Cassia javanica
0.16
4. Israel bavad
Acacia tortilis
0.78 14. Gorad
A. senegal
0.11
5. Deshibavad
A. nilotica
0.65 15. Ardusa
Ailanthus excelsa
0.15
6. Kashid
Casia siamia
0.39 16. Karnaj
Pongamia pinnata
0.10
7. Bamboo
Dendrocalamus strictus
0.32 17. Bordi
Zyzyphus sp
0.10
8. Peltroform
Peltroforum ferruginieum
0.27 18. Sirus
Albizia lebbek
0.09
9. Kanji
Holoptelia integrifolia
0.24 19. Sewan
Gmeliana arborea
0.08
10. Asopalav
Polyalthia longifolia
0.22 20. Others
1.23
Total
8.67
tree cover. The main trees species and their
population in Gandhinagar has been given in
Table-12.
Neem is the main tree in Gandhinagar Capital
Project Area and also in the district, constituting
about one fifth of total trees in the city. First five
trees-Neem, Garmalo or Amaltas, Gando-bavad,
Israel bavad and Deshi bavad constitute about
55.1% of total tree population in the city.
(i) No of trees having girth at breast height (GBH)
above 10 cm = 8,66,670 trees or 8.67 lakh trees
(ii) Very young trees and big sapling having
height above 2.0 m but GBH below 10 cm =
4,79,690 trees
(iii) Seedlings or saplings or shrubby plants
having height below 2.0 m = 9,80,980 plants
Tree havingGBHabove 10 cm is considered a tree
for the purpose of analysis, and other categories
are not included in the total tree population. In
other words, the number of trees having girth
above standard norm in Gandhinagar city was
8.67 lakh in 2011. Mango was the main tree
species in the area before establishing Capital.
A total of 6,599 trees of mango survive in the
city area.
