Mumbai civic body to plant 213,000 more Miyawaki trees

BMC officials said last year’s project received a good response, as 162,000 Miyawaki trees were planted across 24 locations in the first phase

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to plant over 213,000 Miyawaki trees at 40 locations as part of its urban forest project launched on January 26, 2020.

The Miyawaki method, pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, aims at planting dozens of native species in the same area which leads to an increase in growth rate and density of the plantation. (HT FILE)

The Miyawaki method, pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, aims at planting dozens of native species in the same area which leads to an increase in growth rate and density of the plantation.

BMC officials said last year’s project received a good response, as 162,000 Miyawaki trees were planted across 24 locations in the first phase. Following the success of the pilot project, BMC has decided to plant 47 types of Miyawaki trees in the second phase.

In a statement issued on Sunday, BMC said, “Most of the trees have reached a height of four-five feet in one year. We’ll undertake the second phase of planting Miyawaki trees considering the fact that the trees planted in Phase 1 have grown tall in a year.”

BMC plans to plant Miyawaki trees by identifying dedicated spots to avoid plantation on roads and footpaths, thereby preventing casualties owing to tree fall incidents. The trees will also be planted on the 70-hectare green cover on the coastal road between Princess Street Flyover and Worli.