Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has launched Eastern India’s first-ever Tree Ambulance service to preserve its “green lungs”.
This is a free, mobile healthcare facility designed to provide on-site treatment to ailing and damaged trees in key urban pockets.
The service is targeted to preserve existing green cover, especially trees along major roads and in developing neighbourhoods.
The Tree Ambulance offers immediate treatment for diseased or infested trees, specialised procedures for hollow trunks and interventions for physical damage.
It also offers services on improving soil conditions, restoring nutrient balance and protecting trees from external harm.
It will further provide first-aid for plants, seed banking, seed-ball distribution, planting uprooted trees, distributing saplings, assisting in tree-shifting, conducting tree surveys and removing dead or dangerous trees.
The Tree Ambulance service will be run by botanists, forestry experts, gardeners, volunteers and tree surgeons.
Residents can report sick or damaged trees through a helpline. The unit will respond to these citizen calls and the Ambulance will be dispatched for inspection and treatment.
