BENGALURU: After the success of the pilot drive to remove metal guards from trees, volunteers from The Ugly Indians and residents of Koramangala conducted the second drive of the initiative on Sunday, where about ten trees in Koramangala 6th and 8th block were identified.
A volunteer from The Ugly Indian said the metal guards that were placed around saplings long back had served their purpose. Now that the tree is growing, the metal affects their growth and infects the trunk as well.
He added that instead of disposing the metal guards, the group wanted to reuse them to protect other growing saplings. “Since we cut them with a metal cutter, they have to be refabricated and used to protect another sapling. Two people were required to manually cut the metal guards with the cutter. We intend to do a similar drive in Whitefield and Jayanagar soon,” he said.
Aashish, a resident who participated in the pilot drive, said the team was keen on removing the tree guards in order to ensure pedestrians have space to walk. “Koramangala 7th cross is a narrow stretch. The metal guards block the path of the walkers as well. We spotted two to three places where trees have been cut. So we want to get the stumps removed and plant saplings there.”
Tree doctor Vijay Nishanth joined the second drive and has conducted similar drives in other areas as well. “I applied bee wax and orange oil on the bark of the trees that were injured by the metal. As the plant is growing, the guards restrict its natural growth, cutting through the stump. These natural medicines help relax the injury,” he said.