Branches not separate trees: Delhi govt asks forest officials to follow legal definition of ‘tree’

The Delhi government has reminded its forest officials about the legal definition of a “tree” under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act (DPTA), 1994, saying that branches should not be counted as separate trees.

The definition laid down in the law must be followed strictly to avoid confusion, the Conservator of Forests has said in a circular sent to Deputy Conservators of Forests in all divisions.

As per the Act, a “tree” is any woody plant whose branches spring from and are supported upon a trunk or body, and whose trunk or body is not less than five centimetres in diameter at a height of thirty centimetres from the ground level and is not less than one metre in height from the ground level.

According to a forest department official, the order was issued as it was often seen that if a shoot was emerging from the soil, it used to be counted as a separate tree.

This was particularly the case with species like kikar and babool, where multiple branches emerge from the ground and were earlier counted as separate trees. It has now been clarified that such growth should be counted as a single tree.

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The circular further clarified that counting branches as separate trees or any other deviation from the statutory definition would amount to a misinterpretation of the Act.

This reiteration has been made to obviate any ambiguity and to secure uniformity in the application of the statutory provisions. Henceforth, the legal definition should be followed in letter and spirit strictly as per the DPTA, 1994, the communication reads.