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Roadside Trees of Uttara Kannada District, Karnataka
http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in/energy/
Energy and Wetlands Research Group, Centre for Ecological Sciences [CES], Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore – 560012, India.
*Corresponding author:
cestvr@ces.iisc.ernet.in

ABSTRACT

Road making is associated with destruction of natural areas. Roads criss-crossing through forests create fragmentation and disturbance to the wildlife. However road-making may be considered a necessary evil for humans. Roadsides are often neglected places used for dumping of wastes and not much care given for beautification or planting except in some places. Wherever plantings are done in the usual manner there is not much regard for ecological conditions or consideration of local demands. This study is about how best roadsides can be made more eco-friendly through welldesigned tree planting using appropriate native tree species than exotic ones.

Uttara Kannada district has very varied topography and climate. The district has a coast of sand and alluvium and rocky areas, a lateritic stretch of low hills and plateaus, the range of Western Ghats and the eastern portions merging with the Deccan plains. The coastal areas and west-facing portions of Western Ghats receive rains often more than 3000 mm/yr; the rainfall is down to 1500 mm or less in the rain-shadow eastern parts.

Considering all these factors we propose in this poster a more useful design for tree planting in the district, the salient features of which are as follows:

  • Roadsides of sandy or low lying coast will have species like Calophyllum inophyllum, Pongamia pinnata, Artocarpus heterophyllus and Lagerstroemia flos-reginae.

  • Lateritic terrain roads are good for Sapindus emarginatus, Mangifera indica, Artocarpus heterophyllus, A. lakoocha, Garcinia indica, Cassia fistula, L. flos-reginae, Michelia champaca, Mammea suriga, Zanthoxylum rhetsa, Ficus spp., Terminalia bellirica, Caryota urens etc.

  • Narrow roads passing through forests need not have any additional planting. Wider roads can be considered for planting according to the rainfall and soils. In heavy rainfall areas, with non-lateritic soils wild mangoes (Appe-midi varieties), Artocarpus heterophyllus, A. lakoocha, Corypha umbraculifera (talipot palm), Caryota urens, Mimusops elengi, Strychnos nux-vomica etc. are good.

  • Roads through eastern low rainfall areas are ideal for Mangifera indica, Tamarindus indicus, Madhuca indica, Pongamia pinnata, Corypha umbraculifera, Ficus spp., Terminalia bellirica, Aegle marmelos etc.

INTRODUCTION

  • With the road network continuously increasing at fast rate, roadsides occupy     a very broad area in most of the countries.

  • Indian roadsides are often neglected places used for dumping of wastes and not much care given for beautification or planting except in some places.

  • Wherever plantings are done in the usual manner there is not much regard for ecological conditions or consideration of local demands.

  • This study is about how best roadsides can be made more eco-friendly through well-designed tree planting using appropriate native tree species than exotic ones.

IMPORTANCE OF ROADSIDE VEGETATION

  • Creation of adequate sight distances and hazard-free zones

  • Extended life of pavement and improved cost-effectiveness of construction activities

  • Improved soil, water and overall air quality

  • Increased biodiversity and native plant communities

  • Reduced number of invasive plants and weeds

  • Beautifying appearance of roadways due to native grasses and wild flowers

  • Provides pleasant experience for travelers

MAINTENANCE OF ROADSIDE VEGETATION

  • Selection and plantation of species based on location, type and environment of the roadways.

  • Involvement of local population in plantation and creating awareness about its benefits.

  • Development of management system for maintaining necessary records and information.

  • Hire, train and dedicate crews for maintenance of roadside vegetation.

  • Regulate the over-exploitation of natural resources along the roadsides by the local people.

FLOWERING TREES FOR ROADSIDE PLANTATIONS

FRUITING TREES FOR ROADSIDE PLANTATIONS

Table 1: List of proposed Tree species based on different locations in Uttara Kannada distric

DESCRIPTION OF AREAS PROPOSED TREE SPECIES FOR PLANTATION LOCAL NAME UTILITY
Roadsides of sandy or low lying coastal areas Calophyllum inophyllum Honne mara Flowering/Fruiting
Pongamia pinnata Honge mara Flowering/Fruiting
Artocarpus heterophyllus Halsina mara Fruiting
Lagerstroemia flos-reginae Hole dasal Flowering/Fruiting
Mangifera indica Mavina mara Flowering/Fruiting
Syzygium cumini Nerlu Flowering/Fruiting
Ficus benghalensis Aalda mara Fruiting
Michelia champaca Sampige mara Flowering
Phyllanthus emblica Nelli Fruiting
Tamarindus indicus Hunase mara Fruiting
Lateritic terrain roads Sapindus laurifolius Antalkai mara Fruiting
Artocarpus gomezianus Wante mara Fruiting
Garcinia indica Murugal mara Fruiting
Cassia fistula Kakkai mara Flowering/Fruiting
Zanthoxylum rhetsa Jummina mara Fruiting
Terminalia bellerica Tare mara Fruiting
Mammea suriga Surige mara Flowering/Fruiting
Heavy rainfall areas with non-lateritic soils Caryota urens Barni mara Fruiting
Mimusops elengi Ranjla mara Flowering/Fruiting
Strychnos nux-vomica Kasarkana mara Fruiting
Vateria indica Dhoopa mara Flowering/Fruiting
Saraca asoca Ashoka mara Flowering
Mesua ferrea Nagasampige mara Flowering/Fruiting
Garcinia gummi-gutta Uppage mara Fruiting
Artocarpus hirsutus Hebbalsu mara Fruiting
Eastern low rainfall areas Madhuca indica Hippi mara Flowering
Aegle marmelos Bilipatre Fruiting
Albizzia lebbek Shirish Flowering
Pterocarpus marsupium Netra Honne Fruiting
Diospyros montana Balagunike Fruiting
Anogeissus latifolia Dindigalu mara Flowering
Bombax ceiba Buruga mara Flowering/Fruiting
Alstonia scholaris Haale mara Flowering
Butea monosperma Muthuga Flowering

CONCLUSION

In the case of district like Uttara Kannada, the roads are mostly constructed through the forests there by, disturbing the natural vegetation. This paves in way for the entry of exotic species which through their gregarious growth hamper the overall ecology of the region. Hence, it is highly essential to focus on studies dealing with the overall ecology and management of roadside vegetation in order to maintain the cological integrity of the prevailing natural ecosystems.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We wish to thank Mr. G R Rao for his scientific and technical inputs.

Citation : Vishnu D. Mukri, Sumesh N. Dudani, Subash Chandran M.D. and Ramachandra. T.V, 2012. Roadside Trees of Uttara Kannada District, Karnataka., Proceedings of the LAKE 2012: National Conference on Conservation and Management of Wetland Ecosystems, 06th - 09th November 2012, School of Environmental Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala.
* Corresponding Author :
Dr. T.V. Ramachandra
Energy & Wetlands Research Group, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore – 560 012, India.
Tel : +91-80-2293 3099/2293 3503 [extn - 107],      Fax : 91-80-23601428 / 23600085 / 23600683 [CES-TVR]
E-mail : cestvr@ces.iisc.ernet.in, energy@ces.iisc.ernet.in,     Web : http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in/energy, http://ces.iisc.ernet.in/grass
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