After over a decade, Amdavad Municipal Corporation’s Heritage and Recreational Committee has approved a new tree census across the city, documenting the species, age, and location of trees.

The agency responsible for this task will be paid ₹8 per tree counted. The last tree census was conducted in 2012, when the city had 6,18,000 trees, and the green cover area was 4.66%.

To carry out the Geographic Information System (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS)-based tree census across the city’s seven zones, the AMC’s Garden Department issued a Request for Proposal (RFP). During the bidding, SAAR IT Resources Pvt  Ltd emerged as the lowest bidder and was assigned the task.

Committee Chairperson Jayesh Trivedi said, “A six-month timeline has been set for the tree census. The survey will include the species of each tree, the diameter of its trunk, its exact latitude and longitude, its medicinal uses, and any unique characteristics.”

Each tree will be given a unique number, and detailed information will be collected for rare species. 

Jignesh Patel, director of Parks and Gardens at the AMC, stated that the current green cover area in Ahmedabad is approximately 12%, but the exact number of trees will only be known after the census.

Six months ago, the Garden Department had submitted a report to the corporation stating that in the last four years, around 55 lakh saplings and trees were planted in the city. However, 22.15 lakh of these trees have died.

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