In a deplorable display of human might, we have been felling trees and laying the land bare of tree cover. No less is the outcome of our might that we direct at our trees by way of exerting external physical force on them. One such ‘not-so-apparent’ force comes from the nails that are hammered into trees. Be it the hanging of commercial advertisements and publicity material, the construction of tree houses, the screwing to hang swings to trees, or the nailing to fasten tents or shelter, the injury they cause to trees is profuse.
The piercing of tree trunks with foreign objects pain the trees and reduce their lifespan. Since the bark protects trees against disease and decay, anything that breaches it can allow the entry of harmful organisms. The entry of moths, worms and insects can cause significant damage as they tunnel extensively in the wood of their host plant, thereby marring the cambium and other tissues. There are many species of insects that colonize the meristematic tissues. Some of these insects feed in the phloem tissues, girdling the twigs, while larvae of other species burrow through the growing tips and into the elongating stems.Trees become weak and the risk of them falling during strong winds and rain goes up.Though the significance of any harm will depend on a number of factors such as the extent of the injury, the species and age of the tree and its overall condition, what cannot be ignored is the harm already done to the trees by environmental pollution.
There has been a consensus amongst researches that exposure of trees to environmental pollution has caused oxidative damage to cell membranes. This primary oxidative damage results in the loss of membrane integrity and function, and in turn to inhibition of essential biochemical and physiological processes, one key area being photosynthesis. It is, therefore, obvious that our trees are already under stress from the environment and piercing of nails only adds to this stress. As such, even a few nails are likely to cause harm to an established tree that has a reduced natural durability.
At a time when cities, in average, have less than one tree for ten residents, and where of every hundred trees planted, only 25 survive, tree plantation alone won’t do; saving and caring for trees is equally essential.
By Ranjana Dey ,
Assistant Professor of Law
