Do we follow up after we plant trees?
As tree-plantation season goes on, activists and volunteers describe why it is imperative to follow up after planting trees in public land and other open spaces
Every year in April-May, when the scorching sun heats up the cities, especially the capital, to make it hardly livable, and city authorities decide to remove some more greenery to implement some project to make the city better (in the eyes of the vested interests, of course), social media see a spirited or rather heated discussion on the tree plantation.
People don't just sit idle and blame the city authorities for not replacing the felled trees with new ones (which is not always the case), some jump right into work and start planting trees. While others remind everyone that summer is not particularly a good time for tree plantation, they better wait for the monsoon, which increases the survival chance of seedlings.
As the plantation activities are done, especially under some voluntary projects, then comes the question of how many of the planted trees actually survived.
It is really important to follow up, after tree plantation, to keep track of how many plants actually lived.
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We talked to people who have been passionately planting trees for years to understand how they ensure the plants survive.
They say the survival rate is not high, and it is very important to establish some kind of mechanism to take care of the plants for a year after plantation. Once given this time, the plants can survive on their own.
At first, we didn't realise what type of trees survive in what area. So most of the plants died. Once, we took 5,000 seedlings to plant on the bank of Buriganga. But the thick layer of polythene there made it impossible to plant. Later, we distributed them among villagers. Only 5-10% of all the trees we planted around Dhanmondi Lake survived.
Also, it is important to know which area is good for which plant species as plants don't easily survive in any type of soil.
"If you plant trees beside roads and highways, and there's nobody to take care of them, they will not survive, so we prefer distributing plants to people, especially school children of a specific age group. If the trees are planted at their homesteads, the chance of getting regular care rises," said Arifur Rahman, founder of Tree for Mankind.
"We also request the teachers to encourage the children to take care of the plants and replace any plant that did not live," said Arif, also a manager at Dhaka Stock Exchange Ltd.
Still, it is difficult to keep track of the planted trees' survival when distributed among students because it is nearly impossible to keep in touch with the individual school students for a number of reasons, such as not having a mobile phone.
Tree for Mankind still distributes plants to school children with the hope of turning them into agents of a greener future. Also, Arif said, schoolchildren are very enthusiastic about such activities.
"Once we kept seedlings in a school compound for distribution the following day – many students took them away overnight," Arif laughed, adding, "I was happy about it. What else would they do with the plants other than planting!"
The organisation distributes plants to students of class four to class eight. The founder says older students of classes nine and 10 are more occupied with mobile phones. On the other hand, children from classes one to three are too young.
Seventy percent of the trees 'Tree for Mankind' plants are either fruit-bearing or medicinal. Large flower 'trees' like Bokul and Jarul are also on their list.
Arif says it works best when a large number of trees are planted under the supervision of a friend who lives nearby.
"A few years back, we planted 5,000 Tal Palm plants, and 3,000 of them survived. Later we replaced the dead with new seedlings. One convenient thing about Tal is that cattle don't eat them," Arif shared.
He, with the help of friends, family and colleagues, has planted over 33,000 trees so far, having started in 2017.
Arif made it clear that he doesn't know how many of them survived and added that based on his earlier experience, he keeps on fine-tuning his methods to ensure a better survival rate for plants.
"In two other cases, we made two gardens on private land. Since the owner of the land is the sole beneficiary, they tend to take care of the trees," said Arif.
Trees he planted in graveyards and fields adjacent to schools and madrasas also had a better survival rate, he said.
Every year, many organisations and individuals take the initiative to plant trees in huge numbers. Facebook posts clearly show their euphoria after planting the trees. But whoever tried to keep track of planted trees, seemed unhappy about the survival rate.
Syed Saiful Alam Shovon, a Dhaka-based activist, expressed dismay when asked about his experience of the matter. "They don't survive," Shovon said, in a dramatic way. Shovon is known for both planting trees and organising protests against logging by city corporation contractors.
Shovon and his friends planted thousands of trees in and around Dhaka.
"At first, we didn't realise what type of trees survive in what area. So most of the plants died. Once, we took 5,000 seedlings to plant on the bank of Buriganga. But the thick layer of polythene there made it impossible to plant. Later, we distributed them among villagers," Shovon elaborated on his 'failures.'
"Only 5-10% of all the trees we planted around Dhanmondi Lake survived," he continued his list of failures.
Banyan and Pakur trees survive easily, Shovon said.
These trees are great in terms of supporting wildlife such as birds.
Both Arif and Shovon said Banyan and Pakur seedlings cannot be bought from nurseries, they must be collected from here and there, as they grow from bird droppings.
"None of the Banyan and Pakur trees that we planted in the Dhanmondi Lake area died," Shovon said. "We collected Banyan and Pakur from old buildings. We also asked for them using Facebook. Many people responded and donated."
Many of the fruit trees planted on Dhanmondi road dividers also survived, he mentioned.
"Kamini, Bokul and Jackfruit survived in Dhanmondi, a friend named Rana planted Tal Palm in Hatirjheel, which are also doing good," he added. Even Banana and Bilombi plants survived in road dividers in Dhanmondi.
Shovon and friends in turn watered the plants for 1-1.5 years. This shows the effort and dedication needed to make tree plantation frenzy effective.
This is only a part of care, however.
"People, while conversing with another, absentmindedly break seedlings. Someone did it in front of me, and then we had a heated conversation. Humans cause more harm than cattle, Shovon said.
Dhaka South City Corporation cut down many trees that Shovon and his friends grew on Dhanmondi road dividers, especially on Sat Masjid Road, which caused outrage last year.
Forest dept sells seedlings for a low price, which was a good source for both Arif and Shovon. But since 2020, it has been hard to get seedlings from Forest Department nurseries as they announced plans to distribute crores of trees country-wide. The department has its quotas for public officials, and accessing them is tricky, the activists said.
Since seedlings from private nurseries are a bit pricey, Arif is now engaging villagers in producing seedlings, an income-earning opportunity for them. His goal is to plant one lakh trees by 2025.
Planting the trees, however, is only the first step. Ensuring their healthy growth is what's most important. And for this, engaging locals and motivating them to take care of the seedlings is imperative, according to the tree plantation activists.
