Can Delhi’s Central Ridge be rid of the invasive kikar tree? Conservators try a fresh approach

In 2021, the Delhi Cabinet had approved a proposal to restore the biodiversity of 423 hectares of the Central Ridge and allocated Rs 12.21 crore for it. (Express photo)

“The vilayati kikar is a gregarious species. The canopy of the kikar is being pruned to allow sunlight to penetrate. Lack of sunlight reaching through the canopy also meant that native plants were not growing. Other species like amaltas, pilkhan and dhau are planted after the kikar is pruned,” said Navneet Srivastava, Deputy Conservator of Forests (West Division). This is a way to gradually remove the kikar, rather than cutting the trees and denuding the forest, Srivastava added.

There would be an average of around 150 to 200 kikar trees on one hectare in the Ridge, Srivastava said. The slow process of removing them is likely to go on for several years.

The newly planted pilkhan tree next to the kikar could take around two to four years to reach a height of around 12 feet, outgrowing the kikar next to it, said a forest guard in the area. “It will then suppress the growth of the kikar,” he added. Around a thousand such saplings have been planted all over the area, with some kikar trees having as many as four saplings of other species surrounding them to rein in their growth.

In recorded forest areas in the city, the vilayati kikar is the most abundant tree species, according to the Forest Survey of India’s State of Forest report, 2021. (Express photo)

The pruned branches of the kikar are being fed into a wood chipper machine that turns the wood into smaller pieces that will then be fed back into the ground as a sort of fertiliser for the plants, the forest guard said.

Lantana plants, another invasive species, are being uprooted as part of the restoration efforts. Lantana has been cleared from around 15 acres and a 2-km-long pathway has been made through the area, Srivastava said.

The pruned branches of the kikar are being fed into a wood chipper machine that turns the wood into smaller pieces that will then be fed back into the ground as a sort of fertiliser for the plants. (Express photo)

The project to restore parts of the Central Ridge began in April, after a delay induced by disagreements among experts over what is to be done with the kikar trees. The Forest Department picked the canopy lifting method since the trees cannot be cut entirely. “We can’t say that it’s okay to cut these trees. They still perform functions of carbon sequestration and soil and moisture conservation. They are being pruned so that the biodiversity can be revived,” Srivastava said.

In 2021, the Delhi Cabinet had approved a proposal to restore the biodiversity of 423 hectares of the Central Ridge and allocated Rs 12.21 crore for it. A similar method of pruning vilayati kikar trees and planting other species around them is being followed in parts of the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary.

In recorded forest areas in the city, the vilayati kikar is the most abundant tree species, according to the Forest Survey of India’s State of Forest report, 2021.