India attempts to set record by planting 50 million trees in 24 hours

[Paranoid Android]

Indian soldiers plant saplings on the outskirts of Allahabad, India. CREDIT: AP PHOTO/RAJESH KUMAR SINGH

• Adam Boult

15 JULY 2016 • 6:02PM


More than 800,000 volunteers took part in a mass tree-planting exercise in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh earlier this week, attempting to plant 50 million trees in 24 hours

Uttar Pradesh's Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav told volunteers assembled in the city of Kannauj: “The world has realised that serious efforts are needed to reduce carbon emissions to mitigate the effects of global climate change. Uttar Pradesh has made a beginning in this regard."

The state was hoping to set a world record for trees planted in one day, which was previously set by Pakistan in 2013, with a comparatively paltry 847,275 trees.

Indian women plant saplings in the attempt to set a record CREDIT: AP PHOTO/RAJESH KUMAR SINGH
The Indian government has earmarked $6.2 billion for tree-planting, aiming to increase forestation in line with agreements made at the Paris climate change summit in 2015.

Edward Parson, environmental law professor at the University of California, told the Christian Science Monitor: “This initiative can be a step towards progress on some level, but it is at best a small contribution to India’s greater climate commitments.”

Indian government officials add water to a new planting CREDIT: AP PHOTO/RAJESH KUMAR SINGH
“The biggest contribution of this tree planting project is, apart from the tokenism, that it focuses on the major issues,” added Dr. Anit Mukherjee, policy fellow with the Center for Global Development. “It addresses many of the big issues for India: Pollution, deforestation, and land use.”

CREDIT: AP PHOTO/RAJESH KUMAR SINGH
Officials involved with the project told the Associated Press that roughly 60 per cent of the saplings planted are expected to survive, with the rest expected to die due to disease or lack of water.

It could take up to two months for the Guinness Book of World Records to verify whether the Uttar Pradesh project has broken Pakistan’s record.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/15/india-plants-50-million-trees-in-24-hours/

 

[The Sandman]

All the best

 

[Kashmiri Pandit]

If half of them survive , then job well done .

Any idea on the type they are planting . If they are decorative then they are waste of space and time but if they are full fledged Tress then Good

 

[Mitro]

How many volunteer will be there to take care of this baby trees

 

[Dr Gupta]

I will be surprised if 20% of the tree's survive we tried these efforts in the past and the result was not so good but good luck!

 

[[Bregs]]

Very noble beginning but even if 20% survive and taken care off it will make huge difference to environment

 

[kadamba-warrior]

If half of them survive , then job well done .

Half of them? You must be kidding. Look at the tall and frail saplings being planted without any form of support out in the open.

It would be a miracle if any of them will still be standing alive till the next year. That is if they don't wither away due to lack of water or get washed away in the run off. This exercise is as futile as the one we did in schools back in the days - planting saplings on a particular day of the year ON THE EXACT SAME SPOT, every year!

If ever, Mr.Yadav or anybody else was serious about afforestation and not just about creating a record, they would first start by working the land by building swales to hold run off and provide sufficient support for the saplings.

Not just stick millions of saplings in the monsoon mud and hope that they will survive Indian weather!

 

[Talwar e Pakistan]

A very unrealistic project.

They would need tens of thousands of volunteers or workers to look after these trees once planted; it would cost much money for further care. Even then; not even 20% of the planted trees will survive - this will also have a both positive and negative effect on the environment. I still praise their intentions and wish them good luck.

 

[unbiasedopinion]

Half of them? You must be kidding. Look at the tall and frail saplings being planted without any form of support out in the open.

It would be a miracle if any of them will still be standing alive till the next year. That is if they don't wither away due to lack of water or get washed away in the run off. This exercise is as futile as the one we did in schools back in the days - planting saplings on a particular day of the year ON THE EXACT SAME SPOT, every year!

If ever, Mr.Yadav or anybody else was serious about afforestation and not just about creating a record, they would first start by working the land by building swales to hold run off and provide sufficient support for the saplings.

Not just stick millions of saplings in the monsoon mud and hope that they will survive Indian weather!

Small Saplings need more care and monitoring which is not possible in this kind of vast land. These big sapling if are planted with proper roots and soil around them, will survive amid monsoon season and luckily this time monsoon is not bad till now. Even if 10% is survived, then in next 4-5 years with continous and similar program we will have atleast 25 million new plants with rough calculation, which is very encouraging. I have personally seen the green cover increase while I travel from Delhi to Haridwar, even though trees are planted for commercial purpose, they are being replenished by the owners in cyclic manner. Good work done.

 

[Delnavaz B]

Indian soldiers plant saplings on the outskirts of Allahabad, India. CREDIT: AP PHOTO/RAJESH KUMAR SINGH

• Adam Boult

15 JULY 2016 • 6:02PM


More than 800,000 volunteers took part in a mass tree-planting exercise in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh earlier this week, attempting to plant 50 million trees in 24 hours

Uttar Pradesh's Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav told volunteers assembled in the city of Kannauj: “The world has realised that serious efforts are needed to reduce carbon emissions to mitigate the effects of global climate change. Uttar Pradesh has made a beginning in this regard."

The state was hoping to set a world record for trees planted in one day, which was previously set by Pakistan in 2013, with a comparatively paltry 847,275 trees.

Indian women plant saplings in the attempt to set a record CREDIT: AP PHOTO/RAJESH KUMAR SINGH
The Indian government has earmarked $6.2 billion for tree-planting, aiming to increase forestation in line with agreements made at the Paris climate change summit in 2015.

Edward Parson, environmental law professor at the University of California, told the Christian Science Monitor: “This initiative can be a step towards progress on some level, but it is at best a small contribution to India’s greater climate commitments.”

Indian government officials add water to a new planting CREDIT: AP PHOTO/RAJESH KUMAR SINGH
“The biggest contribution of this tree planting project is, apart from the tokenism, that it focuses on the major issues,” added Dr. Anit Mukherjee, policy fellow with the Center for Global Development. “It addresses many of the big issues for India: Pollution, deforestation, and land use.”

CREDIT: AP PHOTO/RAJESH KUMAR SINGH
Officials involved with the project told the Associated Press that roughly 60 per cent of the saplings planted are expected to survive, with the rest expected to die due to disease or lack of water.

It could take up to two months for the Guinness Book of World Records to verify whether the Uttar Pradesh project has broken Pakistan’s record.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/15/india-plants-50-million-trees-in-24-hours/

A very good move it will eventually help to improve environment not only in India but it effects the world's eco system.

 

[kaykay]

This is rainy season so I believe most of them will survive. I planted few mango and lychee trees in my garden too when I visited my village last month.

 

[Robinhood Pandey]

This is rainy season so I believe most of them will survive. I planted few mango and lychee trees in my garden too when I visited my village last month.

last year i planted 3 neem , 1 jamun and 1 shehtoot tree in my backyard. all of them survived without any spacial care .

shehtoot one is the tallest as of now.

 

[MULUBJA]

Water Conservation, tree plantation and west recycling should be the key thrust area in subcontinent. All the best to this effort. I am happy that our people have start thinking in right direction.

 

[Indika]

This is rainy season so I believe most of them will survive. I planted few mango and lychee trees in my garden too when I visited my village last month.

Depends on which tree(?) you plant.

In my opinion November or december would be a good time. The monsoon is will be nearly done and water is plentiful , they can sustain well till jan-feb. If they survive the summer then its great. Instead of planting everything at once they should stagger the planting. So that they can replace the dead/broken ones and care for the existing ones. As most of them have said planting is just 10% and taking care is next 90%.

But any way why plant for the records ? It should be continuous process every quarter or half year. There should be continuous feed back on how the program is going on.

 

[Śakra]

This is rainy season so I believe most of them will survive. I planted few mango and lychee trees in my garden too when I visited my village last month.

How lond does it take before mangoes bear fruits?