Mumbai: BMC appoints 'tree surgeon' to conduct audit of trees

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has appointed a 'tree surgeon' or arborist to conduct a scientific risk assessment of Mumbai trees.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will conduct a scientific risk assessment of Mumbai trees to determine their health. The BMC aims to mitigate the likelihood of them falling and causing property damage or even death as an outcome of this audit of trees. The BMC has appointed a renowned arborist (also known as a ‘tree surgeon’) Vaibhav Raje to lead a pilot project in Mumbai. Arborist is an arboriculture professional or an expert who specialises in the study of cultivation and management of trees, shrubs and other perennial plants. The BMC’s decision has come in the backdrop of concerns over climate change that is understood to be affecting weather conditions in Mumbai, which depends largely on the environment of the Arabian Sea. Reports suggest that the Arabian Sea is now witnessing higher number of cyclones that hit the coastal areas of Mumbai wreaking havoc and claiming lives.