Maharashtra government to plant 2 crore trees on July 1

The Maharashtra government has laid out a plan to plant two crore trees on July 1. The initiative is part of “Vanamahotsav 2016-17” and officials confirmed that burning environmental issues like global warming, climate change and environmental conservation acted as the catalyst.

Furthermore, the chief conservator of forests (CCF), Nagpur has developed a software to mark the longitude and latitude of every tree and update its location, a picture of every tree, its type and so on.

The revenue and forest department has laid out a well-oiled plan to carry out extensive tree plantation in the state during Vanamahotsav, celebrated in the first week of July every year. “Maharashtra is one of the most progressive and leading states of the country. Out of 307 lakh hectares of total area in the state, around 20 per cent (61.35 lakh hectares) is covered by forests, while as per the National Forest Act, 1988, 33 per cent area should have green cover,” stated the Government Resolution (GR) issued by the revenue and forest department. Out of the total 2 crore trees, the forest department will plant up to 1.50 lakh trees while the rest of the departments will plant the remaining 50 lakh trees.

The GR also said that the cooperation, textiles and marketing departments should plant trees in the vicinity of their offices, sugar factories, textile industries and small scale industries.

The CCF of Nagpur is supposed to oversee the management and implementation of the programme and will get assistance from co-operation, textiles and marketing departments for the same.

Officials have confirmed that the software developed by the forest department will note GPS locations of trees that are to be planted. “Geo-tag the trees if possible; click pictures of holes dug for plantation, the implementation system and plantation process; mention the type of trees and number of trees planted,” said the GR.

Nodal officers at city and district levels will oversee the entire operations.

Officials have been asked to keep ready saplings, holes for plantation and pesticides ready for plants well before the actual date of plantation.

They are also supposed to come up with a feasible transportation plan by May 31 to transport the saplings from the nearest sapling nursery. Most importantly, the resolution said that saplings should be of local varieties such as mango, banyan, Portia, jackfruit, neem, rain tree and gulmohar, which provide lot of shade depending on local climate and availability of water.