At least 25 million trees should be planted this rainy season, with the thrust to curb climate change resulting from deforestation and ensure Zimbabwe remains a well-wooded country, says the Forestry Commission.
In an interview ahead of the National Tree Planting Day commemorations celebrated every first Saturday of December, Forestry Commission spokesperson Ms Violet Makoto said all the logistics and preparation were in place to ensure they met the target.
The day is important for the start of the tree-planting season and should motivate the nation to recognise the critical role played by the trees in the environment.
The trees are planted during the rainy season, which runs from November to March.
Ms Makoto said it was vital to plant, care for, and conserve trees, as a way of ensuring sustainability in the management and use of forest resources.
“All is set for the tree planting day; we have all the necessary logistics in place and this year’s tree planting day will run under the theme ‘trees and forest for ecosystem restoration and improve livelihoods’ We would like to take advantage of the abundant soil moisture to plant trees extensively,” she said.
“The tree planting season starts on the onset of the rains and runs until the end of the season and on that note we urge the nation to conserve and proper management of and utilisation of forests.”
Ms Makoto said tree planting remained one of the key programmes for the country to replenish its forest resources in view of the rate of deforestation.
“Trees are a renewable resource only when humanity replaces what it consumes and although tree planting alone can never be enough to reverse this loss in light of the growing demand for firewood and timber, and this year 262 hectares have been destroyed through deforestation,” said Ms Makoto.
She said there was need for the nation to embark on other sustainable management that preserved forests.
“Through the National Tree Planting Day campaign, we want to highlight the need for sustainable management and protection of forests to preserve their benefits, including that of water provision as tree planting alone cannot be enough to reverse the loss of forests in the Southern Hemisphere where there is a growing demand for firewood and also the growing demand for timber.
“Hence there is an urgent need for a new paradigm shift on how we treat trees. Other nations have forged well ahead in substituting wood with other materials in order to reduce the impact on forests and as a nation, we can also emulate such noble ideas and also come up with other home-grown initiatives in order to save our dwindling forests.” – The Herald
