When Bharat Sisodia reached a site in Ahmedabad in November 2022, he found that a nearly 100-year-old peepal tree had already been cut down. Only about six to seven feet of its trunk remained. For most people, the tree would have appeared beyond saving. But Sisodia, a tree-transplantation expert, wanted to find out whether its roots were still alive. He and his team dug around the remaining trunk, brought in a 50-tonne crane and moved the tree nearly two kilometres to a new location. After preparing a pit and replanting it, they continued caring for it. The tree has since reportedly begun showing new growth.As reported by The Better India, the rescue depended largely on how much of the tree’s original root system had survived. The team first dug a trench approximately six feet deep around it and used water to soften the soil so they could free the roots carefully. The tree was then lifted and transported to its new site.At the new location, the team prepared the planting pit with soil treatments and nutrients to support recovery. The work did not end after the tree was placed in the ground. Its roots needed time to recover and establish themselves again so they could absorb water and nutrients.
The tree is growing again, but could face another threat
In a recent video shared on his Instagram account, @bharatsisodiaofficial, Sisodia showed the transplanted peepal and pointed out the new roots emerging from it. He said the tree had begun growing again after his team replanted the cut trunk.“This 100-year-old tree was cut down a few years ago in the name of road development. And we had planted the same cut tree here again. And nature also blessed us and gave birth to a new tree in it,” he said in the video. Showing the roots, he added: “This tree is growing very healthily. Its roots are going down like this. This is the third root, this is the fourth root, this is the fifth root.”But the tree’s recovery has brought another concern. Sisodia warned that it could be cut down again because of development work at the location where it now stands.“But friends, this tree can be cut down again in the name of such development. Can’t development and nature work together? Can’t we make Ahmedabad an example where both nature and development work together?” he asked.He also referred to Ahmedabad’s ambitions of hosting the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics, saying the city should take decisions that demonstrate how development and nature can coexist. Sisodia acknowledged that government authorities had saved several other trees from being cut down, but appealed to them to protect this peepal as well.Explaining why he had shared the video, he added: “We share this video so that the agency, the government authority and the people working here can hear our voice. Let’s all together become the voice of this tree.”
Why he calls it ‘plantenance’
Image courtesy: Catch Your Tree
Since 2014, Sisodia has been working on an idea he calls ‘plantenance’, combining the words planting and maintenance. The approach focuses on caring for trees after they are planted or transplanted, rather than treating plantation as a one-time activity. “An important part of plantenance is understanding what a tree needs after it has been planted or transplanted,” he told The Better India.He explained that moving a mature tree is not like transporting an ordinary object. Its roots have spent years growing into the surrounding soil, and disturbing them can affect the tree’s ability to survive.According to Sisodia, the recovery period can take weeks or months, depending on the tree’s condition and the weather. Favourable monsoon conditions can help, and the roots may need at least two months to begin rebuilding. However, the actual recovery depends on how much of the original root system remains intact and how badly it has been damaged.His team therefore assesses each tree before deciding how to excavate, lift and transport it. The same method cannot be used for every tree.
Choosing a new home for an old tree
Finding a suitable place for a transplanted tree is as important as moving it safely. Sisodia says that his team generally looks for a location in the same region, preferably close to where the tree originally stood.Depending on the circumstances, they may move a tree around 10 kilometres, while some transplants can involve distances of 15 to 20 kilometres. Keeping the move relatively local can help the tree adapt to familiar environmental conditions. The soil carried along with its roots also helps preserve part of its original growing environment. The month, weather, temperature, condition of the tree and suitability of the new location all need to be considered.The Ahmedabad peepal was not the only tree that brought attention to his work. Sisodia also recalled a banyan tree that had fallen on Ahmedabad Airport Road. When his team examined it, they found that the cemented surroundings had restricted the growth of its aerial roots. These roots normally grow down from the branches and can develop into additional supporting trunks as the banyan spreads.The incident highlighted how construction and concrete surfaces around trees can affect their root systems, even when the visible parts of the tree appear healthy.
Nearly 50 trees relocated in Vasai
Sisodia’s work has also involved efforts outside Gujarat. In Vasai, Maharashtra, he said his team helped relocate nearly 50 trees that were facing removal in connection with work by the National Highways Authority of India. The operation required machinery, workers and participation from people living in the area. Local residents and leaders took part, while people from the community were also hired to assist with the transplantation. He believes that involving people who live around the trees makes conservation a shared responsibility rather than leaving it entirely to specialists.
Why a new sapling cannot immediately replace an old tree
A mature tree has spent decades developing its roots and canopy. Over the years, it becomes part of its surroundings, offering shade and supporting birds, wildlife and local biodiversity. A newly planted sapling may eventually provide similar benefits, but it takes years to grow.Sisodia also cautions that transplantation is not a guaranteed solution. A tree’s survival depends on its condition, the health of its roots and the care it receives before, during and after the move.The rescue of the Ahmedabad peepal shows that a severely damaged tree may still have a chance if its roots remain viable and it receives the right care. But Sisodia’s latest appeal raises another question: what happens when a tree that has survived once is threatened again by development?His argument is that cities should not have to choose between infrastructure and nature. Planning roads and buildings around existing trees, leaving enough space for roots to grow and providing long-term maintenance can help preserve the trees already standing in neighbourhoods. For Sisodia, saving a tree does not end when it is moved or planted. The real work is making sure it continues to grow and protecting it from being cut down again.
