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Ministry targets to plant 40 million trees

Ministry of Forestry and Natural Resources has unveiled plans to plant 40 million trees during the 2021/22 National Forestry Season that began on December 15 2021.

A statement signed by the ministry’s Principal Secretary Yanira Mtupanyama on Monday said President Lazarus Chakwera will preside over the official launch of the season on January 12 2022 in Dowa District.

The First Couple water a newly-planted tree during last year’s launch of National Tree Planting Season

The statement reads in part: “Meanwhile the ministry is asking everyone to plant trees and to carry out forestry activities that will enhance the growth and survival of existing trees and natural regeneration.”

The ministry said the theme for the 2021/22 National Forestry Season is ‘Healthy Trees, Forests, Economy and People’ resonates with Covid-19 and economic turmoil that the country is going through, where forests and trees can have a positive role.

The objective of the national forestry season is to encourage Malawians to care for trees and forests for the sustenance of the present and the future.

The 2021/22 National Forestry Season is expected to run from December 15 2021 to April 15 2022. In the previous national forestry seasons, government has been targeting to plant 60 million trees.

This means in the current national forestry season, there has been a 20 million trees drop from all the other national forestry seasons.

Ministry of Forestry and Natural Resources director of forestry Clement Chilima told The Nation edition of December 15 2021 that there will employ guards and forestry assistants to help in taking care of the trees.

He said: “Since the question of taking care of trees has been there for so long, we will employ 300 guards and 140 forest assistants to help in taking care of the trees.”

Early this month, the Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi environmental education manager Ausward Bonongwe expressed worries on delays to launch the national forestry season, stressing that dry spells experienced in some areas is evidence that climate change is real.

He said a rainy season without rains is a call to action that people must take tree planting endeavours seriously.

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