Trees in Our Lives — 2021

The carbon mapping exercise is a ritual done by the batches who take the course ​“Sustainability in Urban Social-Ecological Systems” (earlier ​“Urban Sustainability in India: A Social Ecological Perspective”). Our campus is in the rapidly expanding peri-urban interface of Bengaluru city at Sarjapura. Sarjapura’s peri-urban area can seem dystopian with tiled roof homes next to multi-story apartments, cows ambling on mud paths and cars zipping on tarred roads, and agricultural activities amidst businesses. Working in groups of two, each group selected three trees of different species. They were required to identify the species, giving the scientific, common and Kannada names. Using their phones, they collected the GPS points of the trees, marking the location where each of the trees stood. They calculated the height of the tree using a clinometer, measured the girth in the field, and this data was used to calculate the above ground and below ground biomass, as well as the carbon stored by these trees. They also measured the ambient temperature using a high accurate hygro thermometer and the road surface temperature using an infrared thermometer. They also gathered secondary data on the social and cultural significance of the species, recording the numerous daily benefits that trees provide. They photographed the different parts of the tree — bark, flower, fruit, seed pods, seed, leaves— and tried sketching different parts of the tree as well.