Urban forestry plan to combat climate change

The environment ministry will launch an urban forestry scheme on June 6 which will involve afforesting degraded forest lands in and around 200 cities. On the occasion of World Environment Day , environment minister Prakash Javadekar said the forestry scheme will act against climate change by creating a carbon sink and against air pollution in cities. The scheme will include a “smriti van“ service where any resident can plant a sapling in memory of his or her loved one by paying Rs 2000 to the state forest department.The ministry is also considering starting tree surveys in cities which can be conducted by residents and college or school students. A plan is being worked to create small nurseries of about 1000 to 2000 plants in government schools where there is some extra space.
The urban forestry scheme will be launched in Pune where a 70 ha degraded forest land is made available. About 4,000 saplings of native varieties will be planted in a phased manner. “Delhi has forests but there are several cities with only gardens. All 199 corporations have been asked to send us details of space availability,“ said Javadekar. TNN For the full report, log on to http:www.timesofindia.com