• Source:JND
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The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has announced the city’s first tree ambulance launch on June 5, Environment Day. It will be equipped with tools such as a hydraulic chainsaw, electric chainsaw, spray machine, battery bar cutter, bolt cutter, woodcutter’s apron, and welding cable to rescue and care for endangered trees.

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The concept of the tree ambulance, first introduced over six years ago by Chennai-based Dr. Abdul Ghani, popularly known as the Green Man of India, has been spreading across the country. After successful launches in Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Bengal, the initiative is now taking root in Pune.

Painted predominantly in green, the ambulance features a green cross and the slogan “Save Trees, Save Earth.” Its mission goes beyond just protecting trees, it embodies a broader vision of safeguarding the planet and promoting environmental consciousness.

“The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is launching a Vriskha Rugnvahika, or tree ambulance, programme to address the health and maintenance needs of trees in the city. This initiative aims to help trees growing along roads by removing nails, providing first aid and ensuring overall tree health,” says Chief Garden Superintendent Ashok D Ghorpade, a member secretary of the PMC’s Tree Authority Department.

Key Features of Tree Ambulance 

Key aspects of the tree ambulance service include tree health management, which involves diagnosing and treating issues like diseases, injuries, or environmental stress, and providing first aid for trees, ensuring that those in distress receive immediate care and support to promote recovery and long-term survival.

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The ambulance will be staffed with experts including botanists, forestry professionals, and tree surgeons, ensuring that trees receive specialized care and scientifically informed treatment.

“The tree ambulance is also tasked to provide services such as seed banking, seed ball distribution, uprooted tree planting, plant distribution, aiding tree plantation, shifting trees and surveying of trees and removal of dead trees,” says Ghorpade.