Here is an essay on ‘Urban Forestry in India’ for class 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. Find paragraphs, long and short essays on ‘Urban Forestry in India’ especially written for school and college students.
Essay on Urban Forestry in India
Essay # 1. Introduction to Urban Forestry in India:
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The world is fast becoming an urban place and almost two third of the world’s population is expected to exist in urban areas by 2025. Cities occupy less than 3 per cent of the global terrestrial surface, but account for 78 per cent of carbon emissions, 60 per cent of residential water use and 76 per cent of wood used for industrial purposes.
In 1800, there was only one city, Beijing, in the entire world that had more than a million people and 326 such cities exist 200 years later. Indeed, such rapid has been the pace of growth that in 1900 just 10 per cent of the global population was living in urban areas which now exceeds 50 per cent and is expected to further rise to 67 per cent in the next 50 years.
In developed countries, the majority of the population is presently living in cities, e.g., more than 80 per cent of USA and 85 per cent of the Australian population are living in and around urban cities. Urbanization is a global phenomenon, although the degree of urbanization and the rate of urban growth vary in different parts of the world.
People move towards cities not only for employment but also for education of their children and due to increase in annual income. This uncontrolled urbanization resulted in deterioration of natural resources and environment in urban areas in many of the cities in India as well as in the world.
The rapid rate of urbanization causes more urban sprawl, noise, water and air pollution resulting urban areas becoming precarious to live. It is logical that scientists, planners and general public now urgently redesign urban systems that necessarily take into account the fact that 50 per cent of the people are now living in less than three per cent of the earth’s urbanized surface. In addition, on the face of climate change, adaptation and mitigation actions for cities in India are critically required where the urban population is likely to grow by around 500 million in few decades.
Dealing with multiple risks of climate change such as temperature and precipitation variability, drought, flooding and extreme rainfall, cyclone and storm surge, sea level rise and related environmental health menace is a stern public policy and adaptation management challenge for India.
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Without vigilant production of knowledge and large investments to link that knowledge to action, cities will be overwhelmed with environmental challenges. Foremost among these challenges is maintaining human wellbeing by provisioning for clean air and healthy living through conservation and restoration of urban forests.
Essay # 2. Definition of Urban Forestry:
Urban forestry is the scrupulous care and management of urban forests, i.e. tree populations in urban settings for the purpose of improving the urban environment. The urban forests involve entire cities and their environs and are an environment of trees and related organisms, structures and people. Urban forestry can be defined as the raising and management of trees in and around urban areas.
Urban forestry includes tree planting, care and protection and the overall management of trees as a collective resource. Urban forestry is the art, science and technology of managing trees and forest resources in and around urban community ecosystems for sociological, economic and aesthetic benefits trees provide for society. Urban forests are one of those green infrastructures comprising trees which are more known for their intangible benefits than tangible benefits in urban environment.
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In urban areas, trees are planted or maintained in back yards, parks, gardens and as avenue trees. These trees in urban areas contribute to an improved quality of urban life in many ways, even though these functions are often taken for granted by the public and urban authorities in most of the developing countries including India.
The urban area has many parts ranging from undistributed natural wood lands to open areas nearly void of trees. There is a great complexity of ownership, with responsibility for care of trees sometimes being legally transferred to others. Rights of ownership are not absolute, in deference to the needs of society.
The urban forest is also in a constant state of flux as people continuously plant trees, push them aside, build within natural woodlands and fashion the forests to their needs. The practice of urban forestry is an attempt to manage these activities in such a way as to make trees and related organisms, structures and people as compatible as possible.
In India since primeval period, flowers and plants have been admired and cultivated. There are many references to the urban forests or urban planting in old Sanskrit and Buddhist literature. However, the splendid garden traditions were introduced to India by various Muslim conquerors from Persia, North and Central Asia. Some of the mughal gardens are still found in Delhi, Agra, Allahabad and Srinagar. After independence, in newly developed cities like Chandigarh, special care has been taken to include urban forestry in the city’s planning.
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From the global perspective, there are wide variations both in coverage as well as per capita availability of green spaces in cities. Cities renowned for their urban green spaces often have 20 per cent to 35 per cent coverage of total geographical area with per capita green space of 25 to 100 m2.
Most of the Indian cities, with the exceptions of Gandhinagar and Chandigarh, are far behind in per capita urban forest availability in comparison to European/Australian/US cities. Per capita urban forests or green spaces in some cities and countries are presented in Table 29.1. Per capita urban green space is found to be highest in Netherlands followed by Gandhinagar in India and least is for Jaipur in India.
Urban Forests in Some Cities of India:
New Delhi, the capital city of India, has grown to be one of the greenest capitals in the world due to the consistent emphasis to grow more trees and strict monitoring of tree cutting permissions. According to Chaudhary and Tewari (2011), presently 20 per cent of Delhi’s geographical area is under green cover.
Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) maintains nearly 14,000 parks, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has about 1,000 parks and gardens and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has many parks, city forests, biodiversity parks and other green belts. Recently, the parks and garden society has been set up to coordinate the greening activities in Delhi. There are nine city forests and two biodiversity parks in Delhi.
Gandhinagar, the capital city of Gujarat has 57.13 per cent of the total geographic area under tree cover making per capita available green space of more than 160 m2. Bangalore city of India is known as the Garden City of India due to the large number of parks and private gardens, roadside and avenue trees and the magnificent Lalbagh and Cubbon Park. The city has 705 parks spread across the city in the form of small and medium sized parks as well as large parks.
Besides these regular parks, there are around 200 open spaces and green areas, which are waiting to be developed as parks and are without any kind of infrastructure. These are basically community amenity sites earmarked for development of community infrastructure such as parks and gardens.
Sudha and Ravindranath (2000) reported that majority of avenue species in Bangalore city are exotic, largely planted for their high growth rate and decorative appearance and there is need to plant trees that provide multiple benefits, particularly in house compounds for providing edible pods, flowers, fruits, leaves, etc., like Mangifera indica, Murraya koenigii, Moringa oleifera, Tamarindus indica, Artocarpus integrifolia, Phyllanthus embelica and Syzygium cumini. Estimated tree crown cover in the city is about 19.9 per cent of the geographical area which amounts to per capita green space availability to around 17 m2.
Chandigarh city, also known as ‘city beautiful’ has more than 35 per cent of its geographical area under forest and tree cover, making it one of the greenest cities of India and per capita availability of green space is around 55 m2. The city has more than 2,000 big and small parks and gardens, besides two reserved forests and a wild life sanctuary.
Essay # 3.
Establishment and Maintenance of Urban Forests:
In urban areas, trees are planted or maintained for many purposes and different situations. Establishment of urban forest involves consideration on planting site, tree species, size of planting stock, maintenance etc.
Planting Site:
Several types of planting sites are unique to urban areas including street lawn, tree pit, avenue and cluster planting. These sites may require special considerations when selecting a species and choosing a proper planting technique. There are variety of places to plant seedlings or trees such as residential and business yards, parking lots, empty lots, highway medians, avenues, parks and courtyards between buildings.
Depending on the requirement of the planting site and site conditions appropriate species need to be selected. For example, trees suitable for urban avenues may not be suitable for parking areas.
Selection of Suitable Tree Species:
Trees may experience different types of stress and respond to stress in different ways. Some tree species can tolerate stress such as poor soils, adverse environmental conditions, etc. better than other species. Several important factors of tree species related to growth such as mature size and form, growth rate, branching pattern, foliage characters, bark texture, flowers, fruits, seeds, etc. should be considered when selecting a species.
The assemblage and display of floral trees can achieve very significant and telling effects on the landscape of the crowded cities, slum areas and dry roads. However, these trees should occupy only well thought positions in the landscape. Judicious selection of species for a particular landscape will have added ornamental value.
The choice of species should camouflage with the type of habitation, building patterns, colour of the country side, nature of terrain (rocky, undulating, plains, etc.) and its texture (broken, gently slope, smoothly grading into each other or with abrupt transitions, etc.). Landform should be the guiding factors so that the trees fit in well and synchronize with the country side. Menninger (1962) has enumerated in detail, the species suited to different locations for landscape management in urban areas. He grouped the species into nine categories depending on the foliage, floral and other characters.
1. Grandeur of the size
2. Gracefulness of the branching patterns, tree form and stem character
3. Harmony of line and symmetry of form
4. Density or pattern of foliage in relation to shade
5. Elegance of foliage
6. Spectacular foliage colour
7. Spectacular floral display colour
8. Attractive fruits
9. Luxury of fragrance
1. Grandeur of the Size:
Grandeur of the size is a synthesis of several components and dimensions. Flora of India is full of trees of gigantic sizes. The grandeur may be chosen for robustness of stem, massive branching pattern, girth and height of trees and overall build of the trees.
Features like buttressing (height and width of plant buttresses), ruggedness of proportion of clean stem, density of foliage, etc. also contribute to the total effect. The grandeur can be best judged when these trees are planted though in single numbers, occupy a dominant space in the landscape.
2. Gracefulness of the Branching Patterns, Tree Form and Stem Character:
Trees can be chosen for their spectacular branching pattern, curiously distorted and variously blotched branches, twisted as unusual drooping branches, distinguished foliage or floral composition and shape of crown.
The trees can be easily categorized into the following types:
i. Branching Form:
Branching form may be round, broad, square and spreading.
a. Round Form:
Ailanthus excelsa, Tectona grandis, Tamarindus indica, Azadirachta indica, Emblica officianalis
b. Broad Form:
Ficus infectoria, Mangifera indica, Saraca asoca
c. Square Form:
Alstonia scholaris, Mimusops elengi
d. Spreading Form:
Albizia procera, Casssia siamea, Plumeria alba
Species with heavy foliage and thorny habits such as Acacia nilotica and Prosopsis juliflora should not be planted on road side as the heavy leaf shedding and thorns make them undesirable and cumbersome. Similarly, trees with large leaves and high foliage which permit light penetration and good circulation of air should be preferred for planting in parks. Round and broad tree forms can be planted on pedestrian paths.
ii. Tree Form:
Tree form may be conical, columnar, tapering and arrow.
a. Conical Form:
Grevillea robusta, Polyalthia longifolia Bombax ceiba, Spathodia companulata
b. Columnar Form:
Mellingtona hortensis, Cedrus deodara, Pinus roxburghii
c. Tapering:
Polyalthia longilolia, Araucaria cunninghamii
d. Arrow Forms:
Casuarina equisetifolia
The broad conical forms are planted to provide colour and texture to the background and form a foreground natural screen. The evergreens keep on adding green when the deciduous have shed their leaves and they clearly define their areas and become dominant features of beauty in the gardens and avenues.
Pyramidal forms in groups help to obstruct undesirable views very effectively sight upto the ground level. They also serve as good back ground for a flowering tree in the foreground, a character exploited in Japanese gardens.
e. Weeping Form:
Callistemon spp., Salix babylonia, Putranjiva roxburghii, Hardwickia binata
Weeping forms are famous for their beauty, gracefulness, femininity, sorrow and elegance. These forms should be used occasionally to produce the effects at special points such as small roads, relax spots, corners of park, etc. Generally, they are established in a single specimen. They can also be planted along the moving watersides, stagnant pool of water and in the middle of lawn to create loneliness and sculpturing value and sudden change of mood in the landscape.
f. Horizontal Forms:
Araucaria spp., Terminalia arjuna, Chukrasia tabularis, Toona ciliata
g. Contorted Forms:
Cassia fistula, Jacaranda mimosifolia, Delonix regia, Butea monosperma
h. Multi Trunk Forms:
Albizia lebbeck, Acacia nilotica, A.auriculiformis, A. planiformis, Adanasonia digitata
Trees with irregular or contorted forms take shapes due to excessive biotic or climatic constraints. However, with the passage of time, they become source of individualistic beauty and convey meaning to different persons. They should be best planted near walking places, resting places and clubs.
iii. Stem Characters:
Many trees can be selected to suite urban forestry designs on the basis of various coloured and shaped stems, patterns of bark, natural ramifications of stems and branches.
a. Crocodile Bark:
Terminalia alata, Cinnamomum camphora
b. Ash Coloured Bark:
Eucalyptus spp.
c. Pinkish Gray Bark:
Terminalia arjuna
d. Yellowish Bark:
Albizia procera
3. Harmony of Line and Symmetry of Form:
Trees can break monotony if they are depicted to show the symmetry of form and harmony when placed in line at variable distances.
i. Harmony of Line:
Mimusops elengi, Barringtonia acutangula, Pinus oocarpa, P. wallichiana
ii. Symmetry of Forms:
Alstonia scholaris, Acacia plantiformis, Michelia champaka, Agathis robusta, Populus nigra
4. Density and Pattern of Foliage in Relation to Shade:
The following trees confirm to such characters and produce shade to the desired effects: Alstonia scholaris, Barringtonia acutangula, Dillenia indica, Chukrasia tabularis, Ficus elastica, Ficus retusa, Mimusops elengi, Madhuca latifolia, Syzygium cumini, Terminalia bellerica, Tamarindus indica
5. Elegance of Foliage:
In large open areas or tracts, large trees at greater distances can be planted. The following species are having elegance in their foliage – Acrocarpus fraxinifolius, Jacaranda mimosifolia, Daubanga grandiflora, Araucaria cunninghamii, Melia composite
6. Spectacular Foliage Colour:
The foliage of some trees being spectacular in colour and changes varying with the seasons. These trees provide foliage colour which impart distinct characters at a particular time of the season. The foliage of some trees changes of tints to delicate pink, gray red, bronze or yellowish orange at the time of leaf fall as well as when the new leaves make their appearance. The variegated foliage also provides a graceful appearance at vantage points in a landscape. New leaves of many trees show spectacularly tinted foliage in the spring.
i. Colour Tints (Leaf Shedding):
Orange – Bischofia javanica, Bridelia retusa
Greyish red – Lagerstroemia speciosa
Red purple – Careya arborea
ii. Colour Tints (Leaf Sprouts):
Reddish pink – Saraca asoca
Red – Schleichara oleosa, Acer oblongum
iii. Species with Variegated Leaves:
Ficus elastica – yellowish spots
Erythrina indica – yellowish spots
Psidium guajava – with blood red spots
7. Spectacular Floral Display:
A flowering tree provides a feast for eyes when they bloom and they change the colour of the entire landscapes. Brilliancy, colour harmony, fineness, sequence of blooming, bloom density, periodicity of bloom, the time longevity of bloom are some of the characters which should be known for framing landscaping design.
Well-designed plans can be prepared, keeping in view the periodicity of flowering, deciduous habit and colour of flowers.
8. Trees with Attractive Fruits:
If the objective of planting in urban forestry is providing shelter for avifauna attractive fruit trees should be planted.
9. Luxury of Fragrance:
The mild delicate fragrance brings the pleasure to urbanites. Following species produce highly aromatic flowers – Aegle marmelos, Holarrhena antidysenterica, Michelia champaka, Millingtonia hortensis.
Apart from these, important environmental conditions such as hardiness zone adaptation, wind and storm damage, light requirements, pollution tolerance, insect and disease resistance, fire resistance and maintenance requirement need to be considered for selection of species.
Appropriate Size of Planting Stock:
Size of planting stock to be planted in different planting site is of paramount importance in establishment of urban forests. In urban environments, forests are established with planting of seedlings or tall tree stocks.
Factors to consider when selecting type of planting stock include site conditions and location, time of year, cost and protection against browsing etc. Generally, avenue planting is done with tall seedlings whereas normal seedlings are planted in urban parks. Under special cases, tall tree planting can also be followed to create immediate tree environs in the area.
Urban Forest Maintenance:
Maintenance of urban forest is an important aspect because the seedlings planted in urban condition should withstand various kinds of disturbances. Need based application of nutrients is essential for better growth and development of urban trees. Tree maintenance includes all those measures employed regularly to improve the health and safety of tree as well as that of its planting site.
The important execution of maintenance work should be carried out by trained maintenance team. In contrast, the tree treatment includes all those measures, necessary to restore the long-term health and safety of the flowering tree and its planting site, such as reduction of the crown, the pruning of lopped crown, root treatment or the treatment of trees suffering from salinization and water-logging damage.
Tree surgery mainly deals with the treatment of damage to the timber, including the necessary stabilizing measures required for the above long-term treatment. Examples of tree surgery include the opening up of the large areas of rot or decay, the insertion of root or cable braces near the top of the trunk. By the insertion of so called cable braces, wide spreading crown can be prevented from breaking.
However, in such cases the correct pruning of endangered branches is often sufficient. In case of rotting due to fungus attack, affected areas and hollow can be treated with fungicides. Edges of the cuts should be treated with callus forming wood dressing. Some of the important treatments such as training and pruning are of paramount importance in urban forest management. Training trees should start at sapling stage for attaining desired form and size. Different kinds of pruning trees in urban tree management includes crown pruning, branch pruning for health, safety etc.
Crown Pruning:
Pruning of trees and the subsequent treatment of wounds are probably the most important of all tree maintenance practices. Proper and systematic pruning helps trees better to withstand adverse climatic and environmental conditions.
In addition, properly pruned trees require less fertilizing, branching and spray materials to keep them healthy. The properly pruned wounds reduce losses due to wood-decay fungi. Trees are pruned principally to preserve their health and appearance and to prevent damage to human life and property.
Pruning for Health:
Broken, dead or diseased branches are pruned to prevent decay- producing fungi from penetrating into the part of the tree to which these branches are attached. Live branches are removed to permit penetration of sunlight and circulation of air through the canopy or to compensate for loss of roots.
Aesthetic Pruning:
Only in formal plantings or to restore the characteristic form of a badly shaped tree, pruning for aesthetic purpose is recommended. Trees should be pruned back to preserve the tree’s form.
Pruning for Safety:
Dead split and broken branches are a constant hazard to human life and to the property. Low hanging live branches must be removed to a height of 3 to 4 m for avoiding interference with pedestrian and vehicular traffic. It is pertinent to mention that the intensity of pruning is species specific and it has to be carried out according to the species ability to withstand pruning intensity.
Essay # 4. Benefits of Urban Forests:
Trees are an important part of the natural life support system and they have a vital role in the sustainability of towns and cities. There is a growing recognition that urban forests improve the quality of urban life in many ways by providing both tangible (food, energy, timber, fodder, etc.) and less tangible benefits to meet local necessities. Multipurpose urban forestry is especially important for the urban poor.
1. Important Tangible Benefits:
i. Food:
Food from trees in urban parks and gardens can contribute significantly to food security in developing countries. Low-care requiring wild edible plants are often excellent candidates for multipurpose use as ornamental roadside plantings.
ii. Fuel wood:
Fuel wood is one of the important sources of energy in smaller urban centres in developing countries, especially in dry zones. Poor urban households spend a significant proportion of their cash income in obtaining wood energy. If the urban poor population continues to grow, an increase in the consumption of traded wood fuel is likely to be a consequence. Under favourable circumstances, fuel wood from urban forests can contribute significantly to fuel wood supply.
iii. Timber:
Availability of an adequate timber supply is a problem for a growing number of households in developing countries. Principle sources of timber in urban areas are plantations, street trees, shelterbelts or windbreaks and greenbelts, parks and gardens. In many cities, timber harvesting is combined with intensive outdoor recreation activities. Systematic planting of street trees for timber production is widely practised in China and Malaysia.
2. Important Intangible Benefits:
Trees in urban systems provide a variety of environmental services including biodiversity conservation, removal of atmospheric pollutants, oxygen generation, noise reduction, mitigation of urban heat island effects, microclimate regulation, stabilization of soil, ground water recharge, prevention of soil erosion and carbon sequestration.
i. Biodiversity:
Biodiversity in urban green spaces can be large. If decline in some species are to be arrested or reversed, conservation effort will need to focus much more strongly on understanding and managing urban populations, because these might buffer some species against regional population depletion. Green areas have a vital role in urban biodiversity.
Suburban wetlands can be some of the most productive natural ecosystems and can provide important habitats for fauna. Incorporating green areas in networks will improve biological conservation and biodiversity. Greenbelts and greenways (linear parks) can serve as biological corridors. Trees present in urban areas can provide shelter to many important animals especially avifauna which are important from the point of enriching biodiversity in the urban area.
ii. Microclimate and Air Quality Improvement:
Urban trees can help to improve the air quality by cooling and cleaning the air. Landscaping in urban areas involving strategic tree planting can conserve energy and maintain comfort without air-conditioning. Urban shade trees offer significant benefits in reducing air-conditioning demand and improving urban air quality by reducing smog.
Since urban trees reduce the need for burning fossil energy, they are a cost-efficient investment for mitigation of greenhouse effects. Planting of vegetation is increasingly utilized as an effective approach for reducing air pollution. Trees mitigate pollution by reducing energy use, carbon dioxide emissions and ground-level ozone.
The Urban Heat Island is a phenomenon whereby temperatures in urban areas are warmer than the surrounding rural countryside, often by several degrees. As urban green spaces and urban forests increase, evapotranspiration rate increases. Thus, a common measure to mitigate urban heat island effect is to increase urban green spaces. Studies on microclimate formation through built-up morphology and urban shade trees have clearly established the importance of urban trees in alleviating the heat island effect in a hot and humid summer.
iii. Water Use, Reuse and Conservation:
Urban forests can help in the protection of urban water supply, wastewater treatment systems and storm water management. Most poor cities face significant wastewater treatment challenges and could integrate stabilization ponds into park systems and reuse wastewater for urban forestry. Reusing city wastewater not only recharges aquifers but also reduces the demand exerted on scarce water reserves. The greatest potential of wastewater reuse is in arid zones in developing countries.
iv. Soil Conservation:
Trees and forests are a means of soil conservation, preventing landslides in fragile ecosystems with steep terrain, little vegetation and harsh seasonal rains, and thus protecting people’s lives and homes. Trees can help to reduce erosion in the different ways such as reduction of impact of falling rain drop on exposed soil, slowing wind and water flow, protection from wind and water erosion, increasing infiltration and soil aggregation.
v. Solid Waste and Land Reclamation:
Recycling of waste from urban trees reduces waste disposal and secures new raw materials. In poor cities, most wastes may be used as source of fuel and in recent days organic manures are produced from bio-wastes in many cities. Unused and degraded land and terminated landfill sites are increasingly being reclaimed through afforestation and converted to parks. Where land is contaminated, particularly with heavy metals, some trees are planted which are capable of absorbing the pollutants. Through repeated felling and removal of the timber, the level of contamination can gradually be reduced.
3. Social Benefits:
Urban forests play a crucial role in improvement of the society by benefiting the human beings.
Some of the important recognizable social benefits are discussed hereunder:
i. Health:
Parks and green areas provide opportunities for healthy physical activity. In addition, the passive benefit to physical and mental health of an urban landscape with trees has been documented in industrialized countries and enjoyment of green areas may help people to relax or may give them fresh energy.
Improving air quality through the planting of vegetation certainly has an impact on health, with such obvious benefits as decreased incidence of respiratory illnesses. Urban forests can also contribute to nutritional food security through edible fruits especially for urban poor in developing countries. Urban open green spaces play an important role in offering town-dwellers a more stress free environment, irrespective of sex, age or socio-economic background. According to Grahn and Stigsdotter (2003), people who spend more time outdoors in urban open green spaces, the less they are affected by stress and related complaints.
ii. Employment:
Tree planting and maintenance in urban forests can be labour intensive and provide work opportunities which may be especially important in poorer cities. In wealthier countries, the arboriculture industry is a significant business. Urban forests and green areas also provide opportunities for many kinds of formal and informal establishments related to recreation and related enterprises.
iii. Education:
Trees in urban forests have a pivotal role in environmental and forestry education in urban areas. Urban forests in the form of parks, botanical gardens, zoological gardens, avenue trees and other urban green spaces are the centres of education on flora and fauna. Easily accessible trees and woodlands provide a vital facility for both formal and informal learning. Trees in urban forests create awareness on role of trees in human life which is very much essential for conservation of tree resources.
iv. Property Value Improvement:
Nowadays, the concept of green cities and eco- friendly attitude of the urban dwellers paved the way for improvement in property value around urban green spaces. Research from around the world indicates that property owners value the urban forest by the premium they pay to live in neighbourhood’s urban green spaces and public parks.
Many studies have shown increase in house prices where property is associated with urban trees, e.g. up to 5 per cent in Hong Kong and in the Finnish town of Salo and up to 18 per cent in the United States. In Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, it has been recognized that a tree-rich urban landscape is an important attraction for new businesses and investors.
v. Recreational Value:
Earlier people used to dwell in rural areas in close contact with natural environment. Rapid industrialization and urbanization coupled with population growth widened the distance between man and natural environment. Also, with the advancement in technology, the work became specialized and can be done quickly with less time. Compared to past, our transportation became reliable and faster.
As a result, the general standard of living has gone up. With further advancement in technology, it is predicted that leisure and not the labour would be greatest problem in years to come. In recent past, the public attitude towards the relation of work and leisure has been greatly modified.
These facts with their growth and changing composition of population indicate that the future would witness growing importance for recreation as a form of leisure. Forested landscapes or trees which have the ability to provide several goods and services to mankind can also provide recreation to human beings through their inherent nature and by supporting various fauna and other life forms.
Urban dwellers need areas close to nature so as to have a break from their busy, tiring, often repetitive and tedious routine jobs and works. Most of the time, the lower and middle class families cannot afford to travel distant places for recreation. Hence, it is essential to bring a part of nature closer to city through urban parks, gardens etc. which are part of urban forestry.
Trees and shrubs found in urban parks or gardens not only provide shade but also enhance the beauty of the area and at the same time attract avifauna. Shade is an essential ingredient of the recreation because it provides coolness to users and contrast to the scenery. Apart from this, the aesthetic value coupled with elegance and fragrance of trees relieves the man from his tension. In other words, the man will be relaxed both physically and mentally from his routine work schedule.
Urban forests and trees in urban parks or gardens are used for morning and evening walks or physical exercises and recreation by all kinds of people. A study in nine cities of Sweden indicated that people of all categories, professions and age consider urban parks/gardens/urban forests as most effective means for stress-relieving and relaxation. A study undertaken in Guangzhou, China, indicated that more than 50 per cent of its residents use urban forests for recreational purpose and for stress-relieving.