To Plant or Not to Plant! ...about indiscriminate tree plantations

Rising temperatures, climate change, and global warming have put the focus of many action groups on tree plantations these days. Trees are considered the number one solution to mitigate climate change and lessen the effect of carbon emissions. Various countries have taken many initiatives to plant trees on a large scale. The Trillion Trees Campaign and the Bonn Challenge are major tree plantation initiatives that plan to restore hectares of degraded and deforested land by the year 2030. Even small-scale organisations regularly arrange tree plantation drives on hills or other open spaces in cities. Schools, colleges, institutions, and companies are continuously coming up with different activities for tree plantation to showcase their environmental contributions. But is planting trees really the solution to all our problems? What if tree plantation itself is a problem for the environment?

Imagine, it's a cold morning, and you are sleeping huddled up under your heavy blankets. The windows are shut, the curtains are drawn, and the room is as cosy as can be. You are incredibly comfortable and completely at peace. Just then someone comes in, pulls your blanket, opens the curtains, and throws the window open talking at the top of their voice all the time. Aargh! You won’t surely like that, would you? Of course, no one will. But this is exactly what happens to animals living in grasslands when trees are planted there. 

Grasslands are large areas of land dominated by grasses having a rich ecosystem of their own. Though sometimes perceived as wastelands, and therefore attractive as tree-plantation areas, they are already home to thousands of species of flora and fauna. These species prefer the open sunny weather provided by a grassland. Planting trees results in a lot of shade, some drop in ambient temperature, an increase in moisture, and disrupts the natural habitat of grassland species. Excess trees also provide a hiding space for predators and are dangerous for small animals of prey. True that more trees mean fewer fires but regular fire helps remove taller vegetation that shades ground-layer plants. The herbivores living in the grasslands feed on grass and have less to eat because of the increase in trees. Many birds build nests in grasses and the loss of grasslands means a loss of habitat to them. In short by planting trees in grasslands we end up doing more harm than good.

The second most popular area for tree plantations is the city hills. People participate in great numbers and plant trees on the hills of the city. While there is no harm in doing so one must make sure where to plant which trees. Pune’s hills have a thin soil cover and mostly are made up of tough black basalt rock. They are mostly covered by scrub forests, dry deciduous forests, and dry grasslands. Local trees like Acacia (Babhul), Kanchan, Tamarind (Chincha), Apta, Reetha, Kavath, Arjun, Peepal, etc., can thrive in this type of environment and should be planted here. These have a better chance of survival and also support and attract the native bird population.  

Monoculture forest is another problem of mindless tree plantations. An area having a plantation of only a single species of tree is called a monoculture forest. These types of plantations are created for the quick greening of areas with hardy species. A natural forest however is characterised by a rich biodiversity of flora and fauna. In a mature ecosystem, each species has a role to play and supports the others for survival. Monocultures do not take into account this interdependence and are often devoid of the rich variety of flora and fauna needed for a balanced ecosystem. Research has also shown that monoculture-planted forests actually contribute to carbon emissions. Studies show that while old-growth forests store carbon for centuries, plantations and young forests are net emitters of carbon due to the disturbance of the soil and the degradation of the previous ecosystem. Hence it is completely useless to cut down one tree and plant ten trees somewhere else to compensate for it. The damage created due to the cutting of one old tree can never be compensated. 

So does this mean that trees should not be planted at all? No. You can always plant trees in your houses and neighbourhoods. As long as you plant the right ones and take care of them till they grow up it is okay to plant. Nature has a power of its own. The less we try to interfere with it the more it thrives. We are nothing in front of the true power of nature. An experiment conducted near Pune showed that a small plot of land of around an acre left completely alone, but just protected with a fence, naturally produced so many different species of vegetation as compared to a plot of land in which plantations were carried out. So if you truly love nature, just protect it, leave it alone and experience the magic that unfolds!

~ Abhikhya Dhongde

Co-founder, Camouflage.