Environmentalists Col Jasjit Singh Gill (Retd) and Dr Navneet Bhullar have also demanded that the proposed Act include a special provision for the protection of heritage trees. They stressed that a special law is needed to ensure such trees are not felled.Explaining what a heritage tree is, the environmentalists said that the main criteria for considering a tree as a heritage tree is its size, form, shape, age, colour and rarity. They also said that the aesthetic, botanical, horticultural, ecological, social, cultural and historical values should also be taken into account.“A specimen associated with a historic person, place, event or period is also treated as a heritage tree,” they said while adding that a heritage tree can also be a tree associated with local folklore, myths, legends or traditions.“While certain species that are relatively rare in an area, whether native or not, may also be granted special status,’’ they said.Speaking to TNIE, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests of Punjab, Dharminder Sharma, said there is already a provision under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, allowing any state government to notify any kind of tree as a protected tree.He added that this falls beyond the purview of the proposed Act, which is focused on protecting trees in urban areas. He also noted that the Indian Forest Act already includes provisions for imprisonment.“As far as carbon credits are concerned, a scheme has already been implemented and Rs 45 crore has been given to farmers,” he said.
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