KAU launches app for trees as part of urban greening

Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) launched an app called City Trees to guide the public in choosing the right type of tree for their neighborhood.

The app, launched in connection with world environment day introduces selected ornamental and shade trees with their botanical, trade and Malayalam name, habit, type, crown, shape, flower colour etc so that a user can choose the right tree for urban planting.

Urban greening is the simplest and most efficient remedy for global warming and many leading cities in the world has courted this option.

The app developed by K Gopakumar, Professor at College of Forestry will be available from Google play store soon.

According to him, the University has proposed different means to create, maintain and demonstrate sustainable greenery models. After inaugurating the establishment of a Miyawaki model forest on environment day, he said it is a model worth emulating in urban and peri urban locations in line with policy and objective of the Harithakerala mission.

Miyawaki model envisages a ‘Pachathuruthu’ of local indigenous tree/shrub species in a minimum of 2 cents of land. This method of afforestation, named after the Japanese botanist and plant ecologist Akira Miyawaki facilitates planting of more number of trees in small space. The trees grow faster too and are free of chemicals and fertilisers. The advantage of Miyawaki method is that the saplings need minimum maintenance.

Since Akria Miyawaki managed mini forests along the coastline of Japan to promote natural vegetation on land spaces destroyed by natural calamities and human interventions, this model has been adopted in many cities. KAU has proposed this method for recreating greenery of Kerala destroyed by the recent floods and subsequent drought.

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