In Bangladesh, trees and forestsare diverse and serve a number of practical purposes. In the whole country there are almost1,000 known tree species which supply basic needs such as food, medicine, and energy. Thus, the general public, in addition to academics and natural resource planners, are naturally curious to understand the plant life around them. Additionally, as plant diversity continues to decline in Bangladesh, many are concerned with monitoring, managing, and protecting tree resources. Yet, until recently, a single comprehensive source of tree species information that is easy for any user to access was not available. To help engage the public in Bangladesh’s rich plant diversity, and to provide a tool to forest managers and researchers in identifying tree species of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Forest Department developed “BGD Trees” - a Tree Species Identification App.

The BGD Trees app provides detailed information about tree and shrub species such as botanical names, local names, habitat,and much more. Digital photos are available for most of the species for easy visual identification. An especially useful function is the ability to narrow down the user’s search using tree attributes such as leaf arrangement. The app is useful for the field crews who are currently collecting information for a national forest inventory. The information in the app is the best that is currently available as it was guided by the expertise of the Bangladesh National Herbarium with additional technical support from FAO.

The app was launched on 12 April 2018 at the Bangladesh Forest Department in Dhaka. Mr. Mohammed Shaiful Alam Chowdhury, Chief Conservator of Forests, Bangladesh chaired the launching session. Professor Dr. Mohammad Zashim Uddin underlined the plant diversity of Bangladesh and emphasized the importance of taxonomy in species conservation and management. Dr. Sarder Nasir Uddin, Principal Scientific Officer of BNH, conveyed the background for the development of the app. Over one hundred participants from BFD, academic institutions, research institutions, and other public agencies attended the event.

The “BGD Trees” appis a great new tool for identification of tree species in Bangladesh both for the public and foresters and can be downloaded from 'Google Play Store' on android mobile phones. Financial support for the app was provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).