Mysuru: Regarding the MCC’s plan to plant 400 trees — ten times the number felled on Hyder Ali Road from Kalikamba Temple to SP Office Circle — Deputy Conservator of Forests (Territorial) Dr. K.N. Basavaraju stated that the Forest Department adheres to specific norms.

“Only a limited number of trees can be planted along the 360-metre stretch from Kalikamba Temple to SP Office Circle, as departmental guidelines permit planting only 350 trees per kilometre, with a minimum spacing of three metres between each tree,” he told Star of Mysore.

“While the MCC has paid for the afforestation of 400 trees to compensate for the loss of 40 mature, heritage trees, that doesn’t mean all 400 saplings will be planted on this single road. Our concept is simple — if we plant 400 trees across various suitable locations, at least 40 of them will survive the challenges of climate and urban conditions over a decade and grow into healthy, mature trees. That is the rationale behind the 1:10 compensatory afforestation ratio,”  he explained.