The Forestry Commission has challenged Ghanaians to change their attitude towards the environment by developing the habit of planting trees.
This, the Commission believes, is key to reclaiming the country’s degraded lands and vegetative cover, which are being depleted at an alarming rate.
Deputy Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, Suleimana Nyadia said this during a working visit to the Northern Region to assess the preparedness of the region towards the upcoming tree planting exercise.
The project dubbed Green Ghana will start on June 11 this year.
The government through the Ministry of lands and Natural Resources launched the Green Ghana Project in March this year as part of activities to mark this year’s International Day of Forest. More than five million trees are expected to be planted in a day across country as an initial programme under the Green Ghana Project.
The exercise seeks to encourage Ghanaians to plant more trees to preserve and protect the country’s forest cover and the environment. The trees will be planted on June 11 this year and Ghanaians will be mobilized to nurture them to maturity as a way of creating national consciousness on tree planting.
Deputy CEO of the Forestry Commission, Sulemana Nyadia interacted with Youth in Afforestation volunteers and later toured some nursery sites and expressed satisfaction with progress of work.
Some of the seedlings at the nursery sites are Cassia, Mohagany, Teak, Rosewood, Ceiba and Cashew.
The Northern Region has been allotted 250, thousand seedlings with hundred thousand seedlings each for Yendi and Tamale, while 50,000 seedlings will go to the regional office.
Mr Suleimana Nyadia said with urbanization putting pressure on the environment and natural resources, it is necessary to plant more trees to protect it.
He encouraged Ghanaians to see the tree planting exercise as a national duty to ensure the success of the Green Ghana project.
Mr Suleimana Nyadia later paid a courtesy calls on Gukpe Naa who was represented by Alhaji Alhassaan Zakaria and the Regional Coordinating Council where he was received by the Regional Coordinating Director Alhassan Issahaku.
The representative of Gukpe Naa, Alhaji Zakaria advised that the tree planting exercise should not be politicized. He appealed to the commission to involve farmers and community opinion leaders in the exercise.
The Regional Coordinating Director, Alhassan Issahaku, disclosed that the Regional Minister is putting plans for vigorous afforestation considering the rate at which the desert is fast approaching the region with its attendant severe climate change.
By: Joyce Kantam Kolamong.
