ADDIS ABABA – Amhara state Agriculture Office has announced that it is finalizing the preparation of 1.7 billion seedlings to be planted in the state in the coming rainy season.
The Bureau also announced it is set to plant 205 million trees within a day during the ‘green legacy’ campaign in the coming rainy season.
Getachew Enegedayehu, Bureau Natural Resources Development, Protection and Utilization Directorate Director told Ethiopian Press Agency that so far the state has prepared 1.3 billion seedlings out of the total 1.7 billion planned to be ready for the coming rainy season. The Bureau is also doubling its efforts to make the remaining ready on time for the campaign.
The Director also said the preparation for this year’s tree plantation campaign started immediately after last year’s massive green legacy campaign. The work began after having thorough discussions and preparing a document based on last year’s best experiences and shortcomings.
Besides the massive tree plantation, the state is also engaged in a lot of awareness creation activities regarding how the seedlings should be nurtured. As forests have multidimensional benefits, it is managed to reach consensus with the society to give greater value and protection to forests.
So far locations for the campaign and seedling identification works have been conducted; Getachew said adding, in the past, once the seedlings develop, they would be taken immediately to be planted. But this year, the planting locations have been identified beforehand, to decide which type of tree is suitable for the specific type of landscape.
In addition, as the owners, the responsible organs have been also identified beforehand, the bureau has managed to prepare 64,000 tree planting locations out of the planned 187,000.
A GPS technology has also been utilized in tracking tree planting locations and preparing the procedures so as to ensure active participation of the communities in the vicinity.
“out of 1.57 billion seedlings planted during the previous tree plantation campaign, 84 percent have been confirmed prolific, he said. The bureau is assessing why the remaining 16 percent failed.
He also added the state has also adopted various strategies to resolve the threats posed on forests found on communal lands. He said, “we have to be able to protect our green belt forests that are preventing the spread of the Sahara desert.”
In relation to the Eucalyptus market, other actors have become more beneficial than the farmers who grow the trees. “Various activities have carried out around border areas in relation to protecting forests.”
Various higher learning institutions have also been exerting efforts to help the tree plantation campaign through research and by coming up with improved/hybrid species that can grow faster.
The state is also facilitating the establishment of unions that manage forestry output/ products market. He also said “we should never let the COVID-19 pandemic hinder in our effort to ensure reforestation. We have to make sure that we ensure sustainable benefit from our forest resources.”
The Ethiopian herald June 4,2020
BY STAFF REPORTER
