Averagely, 73.3 percent of the about 42 million trees planted under the Green Ghana Day (GGD) project have survived, a field assessment report on the survival rate of the trees has revealed.
The report showed that 67 percent of the seven million trees planted in 2021 had survived and were doing well, while 72 percent of the 24 million planted in 2022 were also blossoming.
The report further indicated that out of the 10.7 million trees planted last year, 81 percent had survived the vagaries of the weather.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, made this known at the Meet the Press Series organized by the Ministry of Information yesterday, before this year’s edition of the GGD project scheduled for this Friday.
Mr. Jinapor said it was in a bid to ensure that the surviving trees were properly nurtured to maturity that the government decided to maintain the 10 million trees target as was planted last year.
The Damongo Member of Parliament (MP) added that the decision to keep the target at 10 million trees would give the ministry and the Forestry Commission space “to devote resources and attention to the trees planted over the last three years, while not losing momentum.
The minister said he was optimistic that this year’s GGD, scheduled for Friday, June 7, would receive massive support to build on the successes achieved in the past three years.
He said the choice of the theme, “Growing for a Greener Tomorrow,” was to emphasize the focus on sustainability, environmental conservation and future well-being.
The minister said planting trees was one of the most effective and immediate actions that could be taken to combat climate change, air pollution and the loss of biodiversity.
Mr. Jinapor said President Akufo-Addo would lead the entire country to plant a commemorative tree at the Nicholson Stadium, Burma Camp, to commence the exercise.
He explained that out of the 10 million tree seedlings to be planted across the country, six million will be planted in degraded forest reserves, while the remaining four million are expected to be planted within and around farms, along degraded watershed areas and within communities—medians of roads, homes, schools, churches, offices, and recreational parks.
Mr. Jinapor also appealed to all Ghanaians and residents of the country, chiefs and queen mothers, religious and faith-based organizations, ministers, parliamentarians, members of the diplomatic corps, and development partners living in the country to support the Lands Ministry to make this year’s GGD a success.
The Green Ghana Project started in 2021 as part of the government’s aggressive afforestation and reforestation programme meant to restore the country’s degraded landscapes.
Since 2021, the government has planted almost 42 million trees in degraded forest reserves and other off-reserve areas as part of the GGD project. In the first edition, seven million trees were planted, while 24 million trees and 10.7 million tree seedlings were planted in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
