1.10 lakh sandalwood saplings to be planted in Vellore district

  • 31/08/2016

  • Hindu (Chennai)

In a bid to restore sandalwood tree cover on Jawadhu Hills, the Forest Department is planting 1.1 lakh saplings in Vellore district. Raising the saplings in its nurseries, the department has already planted 20,000 trees this year. Collector S.A. Raman, who inspected the Amirthi Forest along with District Forest Officer (Vellore) Sumesh Soman on Tuesday, told reporters that the sandalwood saplings were being raised in the nurseries under the Sandalwood Regeneration Scheme of the State government at a cost of Rs. 1.47 crore. The saplings would be planted on 550 hectares by the end of this year. “Of the 1.1 lakh saplings raised, 50,000 would be planted in the Vellore forest division and the remaining in the Tirupattur forest division. A total of 20,000 saplings have already been planted,” he said. Sandalwood trees were native to the Jawadhu Hills, which were wiped out owing to smuggling activities. “This is an effort to restore the tree cover. We have raised 10,000 saplings in the nursery at the Amirthi Forest range. There are two more nurseries in Vellore and Odugathur ranges,” Mr. Soman said. The tribals would be roped in to protect the trees, officials said. Mass plantation The Forest Department, along with the Rural Development Department, is taking up a mass sapling plantation programme. While the Forest Department is raising saplings, the Rural Development Department will plant them. “We want to improve the forest cover in the district. The mass plantation drive began on the birthday of the Chief Minister. This year, we will be planting 3,81,697 saplings for which the preparatory works are under way,” Mr. Raman said.