What’s the main issue? Scientists observing trees across India have found that trees are behaving differently because of climate change. According to SeasonWatch, a citizen science project that tracks tree behaviour:
  • Trees are flowering earlier
  • Trees are leafing earlier
  • Some species are shifting their geographical range (e.g., moving uphill)
This means climate change is affecting not only humans but also the timing, growth, and survival of trees.

A FAMILIAR EXAMPLE: THE INDIAN LABURNUM

  • Known as amaltas/kanikonna, and the State tree of Kerala & Delhi.
  • Traditionally it blooms in mid-April.
  • In recent years, flowers are blooming weeks earlier.
  • Result: People struggle to find natural flowers for the festival.

Why this matters:

  • Trees act as seasonal markers for communities — when their cycles change, it signals a shift in the climate
Trees as Climate Heroes — But They Have Problems Too
  • Trees store carbon, so governments and companies promote afforestation (planting more trees) to fight climate change.
  • But ecologists warn: Poorly planned tree planting can harm ecosystems instead of helping them.

KEY PROBLEMS

  • Wrong species, wrong place
    • Many plantations use non-native species like eucalyptus, acacia, jacaranda, gulmohar.
    • These trees often:
      • Consume large amounts of water (some eucalyptus species can take 90+ litres per day!)
      • Change soil chemistry
      • Reduce native biodiversity
  • Plantations ? forests
    • Large monoculture plantations store less carbon and support less wildlife than natural, mixed forests.
  • Water competition
    • Humans and trees use the same limited groundwater.
    • Planting water-heavy species worsens local water shortages.
  • Carbon storage confusion
    • When plantation trees are harvested, the stored carbon is released back into the atmosphere.
    • Many commercial plantations (teak, fruit trees, fast-growing exotics) don’t store carbon long-term.

INDIA’S AFFORESTATION DRIVE-WHAT’S GOING WRONG?

  • Examples like Uttar Pradesh’s 220 million trees in a day (2019) sound impressive.
  • But ecologists say:
  • Species selection was often inappropriate
  • Planting was done on grasslands and scrublands, which were wrongly labelled “wastelands”
WHY IS THIS HARMFUL? India’s landscape was historically:
  • 60% grassland, scrubland, or open woodland
—not fully forested. When grasslands are covered with trees:
  • Native animals like Great Indian Bustard, blackbuck, butterflies lose their habitat.
  • Grassland ecosystems collapse.
GRASSLANDS V/S FORESTS-WHO STORES MORE CARBON? Surprisingly, grasslands can be better long-term carbon sinks than forests.
  • Forests store carbon above ground — which is easily lost during fires/droughts.
  • Grasslands store carbon underground in deep roots — protected even during disturbances.
A 2022 Science study:
  • Grasslands store 34% of Earth's land carbon, much of it stable and long-lasting. But grasslands don’t “look green”, so they are often ignored by policymakers and corporate funders.
HOW CLIMATE CHANGE IS STRESSING TREES? Trees themselves are:
  • Moving uphill
  • Changing their density and distribution
  • Struggling to adapt to new climates
  • Dying in some regions
Like humans, trees depend on:
  • Healthy soil
  • Clean water
  • Biodiverse surroundings
  • Stable weather conditions
When these conditions change, trees struggle to survive THE RIGHT WAY FORWARD Experts say: Planting trees is not wrong — but planting without ecological understanding is harmful. The solution is not more trees, but:
  • The right species
  • In the right ecosystem
  • For the right purpose
  • With the right local community involvement

Why?

  • Local species support local biodiversity
  • They need less water
  • They are adapted to the soil
  • They maintain ecosystem balance
  • They store carbon more sustainably
Major Gaps
  • We still lack data on how trees across Indian states respond to climate change.
  • SeasonWatch’s monitoring is limited due to low participation from northern India.