The Social Forestry wing of the Forest Department will distribute nearly five lakh saplings to observe this year’s World Environment Day in Kozhikode district. With the support of three major department nurseries, around 30 species of quality saplings will be made available for free distribution during this season.
Forest Department officials say the main targeted beneficiaries of the green initiative are students from various educational institutions.
Nearly three lakh plants will be distributed in quality grow bags. The rest will be given out as seedlings. People who want to collect it for private purpose will have to pay ₹17 per sapling, they add.
This year, the department will not organise any public distribution event as all the interested buyers will have to collect it directly from the department’s nurseries at Madavoor, Vengali, Chettikkulam and Vattoli. Nearly two lakh saplings have already been handed over to Chelannur, Kunnamangalam, Kozhikode and Kunnummal block panchayats to coordinate local distribution.
The saplings include trees with high timber value such as teak, rosewood and mahogany. Medicinal plants too adorn the collection in some of the nurseries. Those who want to have saplings that are grown for shades too will have plenty of options.
Last year, free saplings were offered only to students under the Social Forestry Scheme. For the general public, the amount fixed for ten saplings was ₹2. For more than ten saplings, they had to pay ₹6 per plant. However, the paid distribution was recently stopped by the government for all who want to use it for public purpose.
Forest Department officials say the distribution will begin in full swing with the reopening of schools. Since the season is favourable now, local bodies too are interested in supporting the scheme and plant saplings in their own limits with the support of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme workers, they add.
