Daijiworld Media Network - Mysuru
Mysuru, June 22: In a landmark exercise hailed as one of Karnataka's largest citizen-led urban tree censuses, the 'Nammara Tree Census' has documented 1,21,789 trees across all 65 wards of Mysuru, creating what organisers describe as the city's first comprehensive and scientific database of its urban tree wealth.
The preliminary findings, released this month, mark the culmination of a six-month survey covering every ward within the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) limits. A detailed scientific report, including species-wise analysis, ward-wise green cover estimates, carbon sequestration data and a catalogue of heritage trees, is scheduled for release in August.
Led by the Bherunda Foundation under the stewardship of Trishika Kumari Wadiyar, the initiative is being touted as the first systematic effort to count, geo-tag and permanently document every tree within Mysuru's municipal boundaries. Organisers say the project draws inspiration from the city's rich environmental legacy nurtured during the reigns of erstwhile rulers Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and Jayachamaraja Wadiyar.
The census evolved into a city-wide collaborative movement after the Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) and the Mysuru City Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding with the Centre for Advanced Learning (CFAL), Mangaluru, in October 2025. The Bherunda Foundation joined the initiative in January 2026, helping unite government agencies, educational institutions, businesses, civil society organisations and citizens behind the ambitious project.
More than 520 volunteers, including students, engineers, teachers, doctors, homemakers and retired professionals, took part in the survey. Teams spread across neighbourhoods and streets throughout the city, recording GPS coordinates, species details, trunk girth, health status and growing conditions of individual trees using a dedicated digital platform developed by CFAL.
The exercise was carried out with the support of 21 partner organisations from the corporate, academic and social sectors.
According to a press release issued by the organisers, every tree documented during the census has been geo-tagged and assessed for its species, health condition and physical dimensions. The final report is expected to provide ward-wise rankings of tree density, estimates of Mysuru's carbon storage and annual carbon absorption capacity, analyses of native and exotic species, and recommendations for conservation and ecological restoration.
The report will also identify heritage trees that are more than a century old and recommend them for legal protection.
In a move aimed at encouraging public participation in urban environmental management, organisers are planning to launch a public data portal that will enable residents, researchers and other stakeholders to access the database, search for trees by ward or species, and report concerns related to tree health.
The tree database will eventually be handed over to the Mysuru City Corporation as a living record of the city's green infrastructure and a tool for future planning and conservation efforts.
With the roadside tree survey now completed, the project is set to enter its next phase, which will focus on mapping trees in public parks and gardens, followed by surveys covering schools, colleges, hospitals and temple premises across Mysuru.