Forest dept plans to plant 240 tree species in an hour, achieve a first in UP

Noida: The state forest department is working on a plantation drive across eight districts, including Gautam Budh Nagar, on July 28 during which it will attempt

Noida: The state forest department is working on a plantation drive across eight districts, including Gautam Budh Nagar, on July 28 during which it will attempt a record by planting spalings of 240 tree species within an hour.

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Forest officials said at least 12 saplings each of the 240 species shall be planted during the hour. Each of the eight participating districts will be getting a minimum of 30 species in a bid to conserve the biodiversity of Uttar Pradesh.

They said the aim is to make a new record and conserve some of the native species once found in abundance but are now rarely spotted.

“This is the first time that such a record is being attempted. The drive will be held across eight districts and the list of species is still being finalised,” Anupam Gupta, additional chief conservator forest (CCF) and mission director of the plantation drive, said.

The participating districts include Gautam Budh Nagar, Meerut, Barabanki, Lucknow, Banda, Sitapur, Faizabad and Lalitpur.

“Each species will be distinct, so we are aiming for species that have no subspecies. Apart from a few most of the species we shortlisted are indigenous. Only a few exotic species, such as vilayati babul (Prosopis juliflora), were included on the list as they are good at adapting. Our previous plantation drives usually targeted numbers, but this time we want to celebrate biodiversity and variety,” NK Janoo, CCF, Meerut, said.

According to Janoo, some of the rare species being planted in Gautam Budh Nagar included camphor and miswak.

“A number of species such as miswak, which once could be found in abundance across Rajasthan, will be planted in Noida. The rare camphor tree will also be planted in the city. There are many other species which have been lost over time, like the sal trees. They are now seen only in some forest pockets and have largely been replaced by teak trees. There are also the kadamb and tamal trees, which have become a rarity and will be accommodated in the list,” Janoo said.

In Noida, the plantation drive will be led by the district forest department at a patch of land near Yamuna Expressway.

“The saplings will be bought from different areas such as Saharanpur, Dhaulpur, Allahabad and Meerut. We will hold the plantation at a patch of green area in Sector 20 along Yamuna Expressway. The mock drill was held on Friday to ensure the main event goes without a glitch,” PK Srivastava, divisional forest officer, Gautam Budh Nagar, said.