125 million trees planted

AT LEAST 125 million trees have been planted countrywide over the past five years, while an additional 25 million will be planted during the 2023-2024 summer cropping season to mitigate the impact of climate change.

This is in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15, which prioritises protection of the environment.

Forestry Commission spokesperson Ms Violet Makoto told The Sunday Mail that preparations for the 2023-2024 tree planting season are now at an advanced stage.

“We have been religiously planting at least 25 million trees annually for the past five years and there are no changes to our targets for this year,” she said.

“As it stands now, we are preparing for the 2023-2024 tree planting season that starts as soon as we begin receiving rains.

“Right now, we are gearing up our nurseries to be able to produce seedlings that meet the demand for the tree planting season.”

There are growing concerns over rampant deforestation, particularly in communal areas, where people cut down trees for firewood.

“Tree planting is the quickest response to the challenges that we are facing in terms of deforestation, where we are saying there is a need to replenish our forests through tree planting,” added Ms Makoto.

“Tree planting can be complemented by further conservation of the existing forests and woodlands so that we maintain a balance between what we are utilising from the forest and what we are putting back.”

Community engagement and awareness campaigns, she added, have been rolled out to ensure people understand the importance of trees, apart from being a source of energy.