The national capital is set to undertake its first comprehensive tree census, with the Centre allocating Rs 2.9 crore to the Forest Research Institute (FRI) in Dehradun to carry out the exercise. Officials said the survey will be conducted over four years in three phases and is expected to begin soon, Hindustan Times reported.
Although a tree census is mandated under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994, no official enumeration has been conducted so far. In December 2024, the Supreme Court directed the Delhi Tree Authority to undertake the exercise, later assigning FRI to oversee it.
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Focus on urban, non-forest areas
According to officials, the census will cover only non-forest areas, focusing on trees in urban spaces across the city. The aim is to create a baseline database and track long-term trends related to tree health and distribution.
The process will be guided by experts, including retired IFS officers Sunil Limaye and MD Sinha, along with tree expert Pradip Krishen, the HT report stated. Their role will be to help shape the framework and ensure the exercise is carried out systematically.
Methodology still under discussion
The first phase of the project will focus on finalising the methodology. Officials confirmed that Rs 2.9 crore has already been released for this phase, which is expected to take about a year.
"The methodology is yet to be finalised by FRI and for that, FRI will also undertake a short pilot study to assess flaws or gaps. After finalising the methodology, the full-fledged census will be carried out," an official was quoted as saying by HT.
Another official added, "A meeting was held recently and discussions will continue over the methodology and how the census will be carried out.”
Why the census matters
Delhi currently lacks a comprehensive database on its trees, making it difficult to assess their health and distribution. The census is expected to fill this gap by identifying trees that are healthy, damaged, diseased, or affected by concretisation.
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It will also help authorities monitor issues such as lopping, lack of soil space, and other environmental stress factors affecting urban greenery.
In the absence of an official exercise, several neighbourhood-level surveys have been carried out over the years. In 2011, a citizen-led census in Sarvodaya Enclave counted 1,112 trees and highlighted issues such as tilting and concretisation.
Similar surveys in areas like Gulmohar Park, Greater Kailash, and Vasant Vihar found widespread concerns, including limited soil space and poor tree health.
Environmental activist Bhavreen Kandhari emphasised the role of technology, and was quoted as saying by HT, "It is important to standardise a methodology which makes the best use of technology too. In a way, we can create a digital database of trees, with each tree geo-tagged so for any offence in the future, the database can be consulted."
