Mapping of the urban tree population in gardens of Ulhasnagar, District Thane, Maharashtra using Geographic information system (GIS)

Abstract

Urban trees today are a crucial component that defines the healthy and liveable environment of a city. A city’s database includes streets, building, footprints, overhead and underground utilities, workforce areas, pest/disease quarantine zones, parks, and pending development areas in addition to the tree database such as tree location, species, diameter at breast height (DBH), and canopy width. The present study aimed at mapping the tree population of some selected gardens and parks in Ulhasnagar using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). GIS is an integrated system of computer hardware, software, data and trained personnel for analyzing and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. GIS-based map shows the location for each tree species found in the selected 12 gardens of Ulhasnagar. Green colour represents dense green canopy represented by the above-ground biomass, and yellow represents moderate, while red indicates scarce or limited above-ground biomass. The green colour actually represents the volume of biomass and not the density or the number of trees and shows the concentration of carbon pools in the study area. Updating data in GIS is much more cost-efficient and less time consuming than having to redraw maps manually. Urban foresters and urban planners can work together using GIS for better management of this resource. This study is one of the pioneering footsteps towards appreciative resources and thus enabling the researchers in developing an appropriate management strategy. The data will help us to analyze and interpret better and eventually conceptualize the above-ground biomass in the entire area of gardens.