43
Junagadh is the smallest
Mahanagar Palika
, after
Gandhinagar, in the termof human population in
Gujarat State. The tree cover within city area is
moderate but the surrounding areas have dense
forest of Girnar. Areas in Agriculture University
and Sakkarbuag have very good tree cover but
the number is low in the main city. A large part
of Sakkarbuag Zoo, having dense tree canopy is
out of the boundary of municipal corporation,
although it is most important recreational and
educational area for the people of the city. Due
to the presence of Agricultural University in the
city, fruit bearing species like Nariyali, Chikoo,
Guvava-Jamfal, and
Sitafal
are dominant among
the trees in the city. Although
Pendula, Nariyali
and
Sitafal
have high populations, the presence
of Neem and Mango trees appears high due to
their large canopy dimensions.
The basic facts of Junagadh are as follows.
Human population 3.20 lakh
Area of city
5,670 ha
Tree population
76,700
Tree density
13.5 trees/ha
Tree cover
About 271 ha
(4.8% of geographical
area)
Trees per 100 person 23.4
A total of 127 species of trees were encountered
in the city and ten most important of them have
been given in Table-23.
13.8. Trees in Junagadh City
Table-23: The main trees in Junagadh
Mahanagar Palika
No
Species
No of
trees
No
Species
No of
trees
1 Pendula-
Polyalthia longifolia
10,290 7 Nilgiri–
Eucalyptus
sp
2,380
2 Nariyali–
Cocos nucifera
6,550
8 Pipal–
Ficus tsila
2,350
3 Limdo-
Azadirachta indica
5,320
9 Jamfal–
Psidium guajava
1,980
4 Sitafal–
Annona squamosa
4,060 10 Ravana
1,850
5 Mango –
Mangifera indica
4,010 11 Others
35,230
6 Chikoo–
Acrus sapota
2,680
Total
76690
The dense forest adjoining Junagadh (at
boundary of the city) supports Teak, Khakharo,
Deshi babool and other such forestry species.
Asiatic lion frequently visit the area at boundary
of the city. Girnar
talahati
, an important human
habitation and a part of Junagadh Municipal
Corporation is within Girnar forest. Catchment
area of Girnar is a main source of water supply.
There are several religious sites within Girnar
mountain which are connected with Junagadh
city. In fact, Sakkarbaug Zoo, area around
Girnar talahati, forest nurseries and biodiversity
cum educational site and several sites within
Girnar are important recreational sites. These
areas practically improve green space for the
people, although they are not part of municipal
corporation area.
(i) In Junagadh, number of old trees is high.
A large number of trees planted by the
Nawab of Junagadh survives in the city. Over
hundred year old trees of Mahoghany and
Borselli survive in the city. Total of 149 trees
in the city have girth above 300 cm and 546
trees have girth in the girth class 250-300
cm. Number of trees in lower girth class is
relatively low.
(ii) Number of
Nariyali
is also very high as a total
of 6,550
Nariyali
trees were counted within
the city boundaries.
