Massive plan to augment green cover in Tirumala forest

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has embarked on a major mission to ensure total greenery in the 2,719-hectare Tirumala forest, which is considered a core and integral portion of the biodiversity-rich Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve.

In the next decade, the entire region will be taken up for greening to such an extent that the Tirumala hills will turn into a ‘carbon-positive’ area.

The action plan approved recently by the TTD Trust Board, led by Chairman B.R. Naidu, for the period 2025-2035 targets to enhance the overall forest cover, which is currently 89.4%, according to the latest Indian State of Forest Report (ISFR-2023).

Apart from greening, the other important aspect of the project is to replace the non-native plants with indigenous species.

A baseline survey will be taken up initially to study the biodiversity and gauge the quantum of invasive and exotic plants.

The invasive species such as ‘Acacia auriculiformis’ and ‘Senna spectabilis’, which currently cover approximately 576 hectares and have suppressed native growth, will be replaced with local flora. With this, the native tree varieties will be increased from 120 to 250.

Canopy trees such as banyan, peepal, and cluster fig, flowering trees such as ‘champak’, ‘parijata’, and golden shower, fruit-bearing varieties like ‘jamun’, Indian gooseberry (usiri), and ‘bibhitaki’ will be planted.

Similarly, medicinal plants like ‘nannari’, ‘sarpagandha’ and ‘tulasi’ will also be planted in vast tracts to restore the divine feel atop the hills.

With this, the ‘dense forest cover’ will be increased to 45% from the existing 32%, according to TTD Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal. The carbon capture of the region will be augmented from 10,019 tonnes to 13,500 tonnes.