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12,000 trees uprooted in Ahmedabad in 10 years
A tree-planting machine costing ₹4 crore is falling apart
Dilip Patel
Ahmedabad, September 23, 2025
Ahmedabad is sweltering. Work to reduce temperatures is only on paper. Old trees are being felled for projects. A replanting machine costing ₹45 million has been purchased, and 180 trees have been replanted so far. However, the city mayor is choosing to cut down trees by purchasing a tree-cutting machine costing ₹4,000.
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has cut down 11,806 trees from 2015 to September 2025. 180 trees have been replanted in the North and South zones.
In the northern region, despite Adani Company’s responsibility for the Adani Airport area, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has transplanted 1,465 trees at its own expense. This work was actually supposed to be done by Adani Corporation.
To green Ahmedabad, the Gujarat government has provided a tree transplanting machine to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation for replanting trees. This machine has been idle at the Gayaspur Nursery for the past three years. The tree transplanting machine is also located in the same Oxygen Park.
Instead of cutting down trees, it is important to transplant them to other locations.
Gardens, a lush Ahmedabad, and Oxygen Parks are being built, but what is becoming a concrete Ahmedabad is not a green Ahmedabad.
The state’s first tree transplanting machine was installed in Gandhinagar in 2007. In the entire state, only Gandhinagar had a tree transplanting machine that could transplant trees from one place to another, including their roots.
Gandhinagar
This machine cost over 10 crore rupees. This machine, costing ₹2 crore (200 million rupees), was installed during the tenure of former Forest Secretary S.K. Nanda. In 2021, it was unused and gathering dust at the Forest Department headquarters in Sector 17. The Gandhinagar Forest Department previously owned a tree transplant machine, and at that time, many trees were transplanted from Gandhinagar and other locations.
The Forest Department purchased it to transplant trees with their roots intact instead of cutting them down. The company provided trained drivers and helpers. The government did not have its own drivers.
30 percent success rate
Out of 100 trees, only 30 survive. 70 percent perish. The success rate for transplanted trees is 30 percent. The tree is uprooted with its roots and transplanted using a high-tech machine. Transplantation is only possible for certain species and trees with a small trunk circumference. A pit must be dug for the transplant.
Instead of cutting down trees, they were purchased for transplantation. The Forest Department’s fee for transplanting a tree was ₹20 per tree. ₹5,500 before 2021.
Machine
Tree transplantation is carried out by generating hydraulic pressure through the truck’s engine. The four blades are arranged in a conical shape so that they penetrate 5 feet into the ground, with the upper diameter being 9 feet and the lower diameter being 4 inches. When all the blades are inserted into the ground, the soil portion is lifted above the ground, digging a hole or lifting the tree with its roots.
Two models
90D – Capable of lifting trees with a circumference of 90 cm at the base
100D – Capable of lifting trees with a circumference of 100 cm at the base
Trees with a circumference of less than 100 cm at the base are not suitable for transplanting.
The soil is watered two days in advance. Water should be applied to the area where the transplant is to be done.
One-third of the tree is cut down.
Horizontal trees or trees with protruding branches are not transplanted.
Transportation and Handling
After uprooting the tree, the entire tree, including the trunk, is placed high on the chassis of a truck. Branches are either tied or cut off.
For termite, bacterial, and fungal treatment, one-third of the pit is filled with water. 50 grams of Phorate powder, 30 ml of bacterial and fungal fluid, 30 ml of fungal and fungal fluid, pre-mixed, are poured into the pit. 10-15 kg of organic fertilizer is added.
Watering is recommended two to three times a week for the first month and then once a week for a month. All leaves fall off within a month, and only then will new leaves emerge.
A spray pump, bucket, gloves, shovel, and a bending tool are used to cut or shorten branches.
Up to 10 trees can be transplanted in a day, while 2 trees can be transplanted along a road.
Success is higher during the monsoon and winter seasons.
Approximately 1,500 trees were transplanted in Gandhinagar over two years. The success rate is 85%. Tree transplant failures are higher during the summer season. Trees such as acacia, neem, and ailanthus have lower success rates than other trees.
Tree Transplant Cost
The cost per tree, including transplantation and post-transplant care, is approximately ₹4,000.
