ABSTRACT:
In October 2014, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highway sanctioned INR 7753 million to upgrade Dhamtari- Jagdalpur road- a part of the National Highway 30 (NH-30) in Chhattisgarh. While widening the roads, the contractors are felling trees along the road side. Trees act like lungs of our planet. The role of trees as noise absorber, radiation absorber and thermo-regulators is well known. The objective of our study was to estimate the amount of loss of trees along NH-30 from Raipur to Jagdalpur. We carried out ground survey and prepared a list of affected plants with the data on their girth was measured (DBH). The "Tree Volume Value" was calculated using the standard formula. The well known medicinal plants were identified from among the affected plants and gross loss was estimated. The authors strongly recommend for the formulation of a tree policy which will make it mandatory to evaluate each and every tree before its cutting.