The effort of the West Bengal Forest Department has enabled the creation of more than 5,000 hectares of tree cover across Bengal – 5,422.62 hectares to be exact – in financial year 2018-19. This fact was stated by the Forest Minister recently. The tree cover in the State currently amounts to 15.50 per cent of the total area of the State and the total forest cover is 13.38 per cent.
Saplings of trees like sal, segun, mahogany, mango, jamun, haritaki and others, totalling 1,08,28,000, have been planted to create the cover, he said. It needs to be mentioned in this context that during the week celebrating Van Mahotsav (for seven days from July 14) and at other times all through the year, lakhs of saplings are distributed for planting.
Then, as part of the Sabujshree Scheme, saplings of commercially valuable trees are given to mothers of newborns to plant so that the trees can be sold after 18 years and the money used to fund the child’s higher education. The minister also informed that the forest preservation is being done in the Sundarbans using the process of GIS tagging. Mangrove trees are also being
planted. (UNI)
