Cape Coast (C/R), Feb. 08, GNA – The Central Regional Branch of the Forest Services Division of the Forestry Commission (FC) is expected to plant about 1.6 million tree seedlings, come Saturday, June 04, 2022, under the Green Ghana Project.
Last year, during the maiden exercise of the Project, more than 650,000.00 were planted across the 23 Metropolitan, Municipal and Districts (MMDAs) in the Region.
The afforestation project is aimed at speedily retrieving and revamping degraded lands and restore the country’s lost green environment.
Mr Michael Paintsil, the Regional Manager of the Forest Division Services disclosed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Cape Coast.
He said this year’s number represented an increase of 1,599,350.000.00 trees expected to be planted.
On survival rate of last year’s trees, Mr Paintsil said about 80 percent of the trees survived, describing it as “a remarkable success”.
He said effort was being made to replace dead ones to achieve the purpose of the exercise .
The Regional Manager attributed the success of the initiative in the region to the collective participation of various stakeholders including faith-based organisations, traditional authorities, educational institutions, and individuals.
He commended them for their tremendous support and called for more enthusiasm this year to ensure the targeted tree seedlings were planted in the Region.
To achieve this year’s milestone, the Region has been divided into four sectors namely; Assin Fosu, Dunkwa, Winneba and Cape Coast to ensure all areas particularly, the remotest, were captured in the planting project.
He said the office was collaborating with all stakeholders, enhancing public education and media engagement to get Ghanaians informed on the relevance of tree planting in the country.
Trees to be planted this year include fruit trees, ornamental trees, indigenous and exotic trees among others.
Mr Paintsil appealed to all MMDAs, religious groups, traditional authorities, and institutions to support the Commission to restore the country’s lost forests.
The Regional Manager urged the public to own the trees and develop strategies to nurture them for the benefits of all.
The government, with support from various stakeholders, undertook a nationwide tree planting exercise last year to restore the country’s forest cover.
Over five million trees were planted across the country as part of the Green Ghana project.
The initiative was also to encourage the citizens and to inculcate in them the habit of planting trees to protect the vegetation cover for a balanced ecology and as a long-term measure against heavy storms.
The Green Ghana project is a presidential initiative launched by President Nana Akufo-Addo on March 23, 2021, to rally Ghanaians to plant five million trees on June 11, 2021, to preserve the country’s forest.
