[ad_1]
Last updated: July 17, 2023 at 4:14 PM IST
The aim is to ensure that students have the opportunity to visit nurseries and learn about plant species. Forest Department Secretary and Additional Secretary General Supriya Sahu said they can also participate in tree planting. (photo: News18)
Forest officials were required to connect nurseries to nearby schools. To date, seven crore seedlings have been bred in Tamil Nadu
On a mission to increase forest cover from 23.69% to 33%, the Tamil Nadu state government is working on tree planting, under which it has so far bred seven crore seedlings, according to the Forestry Department.
Forest Department Secretary and Additional Secretary Supriya Sahu noted that the Green Tamil Nadu mission fact sheet for 2023-24 aims to have 1,931 nurseries. About 7 crore seedlings of native species like Syzygium, Ailanthus, Pongamia, Jackfruit, Palmyra, Ficus, Tamarind, Red Sanders, Sandalwood and Melia Dubia.
The minister said that the seedlings will be planted on an area of 1,000 square kilometers and will also provide “green jobs”.
“The Tamil Nadu Green Mission is going in full force. For example, Namakkal District has bred 7 native seedlings in 11 nurseries for cross-district cultivation. Apart from greening Tamil Nadu, the Mission is creating thousands of green jobs by providing employment opportunities especially for rural women,” Sahu said.
The Forestry Department is getting school students involved – at first, district forestry officials were required to connect forest nurseries to nearby schools.
This will ensure that the students get the chance to visit nurseries and learn about different types of plants. They can also participate in bagging and tree planting. She added that this will certainly lead to a momentum where impressionable young minds are more sensitive to the environment.
The Forest Department forms state and county green committees to protect and manage trees.
“For the proper functioning of the task, it is necessary to monitor and evaluate the nursery activities based on the feedback received from the responsible nursery. It will reduce the risk of seedling damage and help the management to take proactive decisions,” said Sahu.
Therefore, a mobile application to collect data on all activities on a daily basis has been provided to foresters in charge to help them track the status of the plant remotely.
She explained that daily report images can be selected from a particular nursery and she can review nursery activities and plant growth so that the department can support nurseries if they need any additional support.
[ad_2]
