Painting republic green
One of my greatest delights is sitting under the avocado pear tree in my garden at Kwabenya, Accra on weekends to read, think, drink or simply allow my mind to flutter as it pleases, particularly when there is a gentle breeze.
It is so refreshing to enjoy some of nature’s little delights that are easily taken for granted, especially in our big cities where everyone seems to be in great haste to endure the daily grind in order to put bread on the table and keep body and soul together.
Of course, there is the added obvious benefit of free avocados to go with my meals.
Growing up in Tarkwa and Prestea, I was probably lucky in the sense that wherever my family lived, there was a big tree in the yard that provided cover for playing, relaxation or amateur tree-climbing practice and also gave us oranges or mangoes.
At Prestea in particular, it was a neem tree, whose bark and leaves are reputed to have huge medicinal value for treating fever, even if they taste horribly bitter.
All in all, lush, green vegetation is a thing of great natural beauty. When Kumasi was once reputedly known as the ‘Garden City of West Africa’, it was this attribute, together with its horticultural delights and tree-lined avenues that gave it such a cool reputation.
Why are trees important?
As the biggest plants on the planet, trees provide us with oxygen, store carbon, stabilise the soil and give life to the world’s wildlife.
Their canopies serve as a filter by trapping dust and absorbing pollutants from the air, as well as provide shade from solar radiation and reduce noise.
Of course, as with the neem tree, so many other trees, particularly their roots, barks or leaves are of immense pharmaceutical importance and, therefore, play a huge role in our physical well-being.
By reducing wind speeds and cooling the air with their moisture, trees can help with atmospheric temperature reduction, which is why walking through a forest provides such a cool ambience.
Prevention against soil erosion and serving as places of habitat and sources of food for various birds and insects are some of the other critical roles that trees play in sustaining a delicate ecological balance.
Sadly, as with many delights that this country once stood proudly about, our greenery is not much to write home about today.
Through the combined effect of rapid urbanisation, burning of wood fuel, increased agricultural practices, exploitation of commercial trees for export, increased local demand for wood products and irresponsible small-scale mining, among others, our green cover is gradually being compromised.
Forestry Commission programmes
Browsing through the Forestry Commission’s website, I came across a number of interesting and rather commendable programmes that have been put in place by the commission to better discharge its mandate of the protection, development, management and regulation of forest and wildlife resources in the country.
These include the Bamboo & Rattan Development Project, the Community Forest Management Project (CFMP), the Forest Investment Programme, the Forest Resources Management Project (FORUM), the Reduced Emissions for Deforestation & Degradation (REDD) and a host of others.
Green Ghana initiative
Last week, tree planting gained lots of media coverage with the initiative by the Forestry Commission and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to encourage Ghanaians to plant trees. About five million seedlings were distributed nationwide.
The Green Ghana programme is aimed at planting at least five million trees across Ghana by the various government institutions and agencies, as well as the citizenry.
The initiative is part of the government’s efforts to restore the country’s depleting forest cover, as well as part of measures to mitigate the impact of climate change in the country.
President Akufo-Addo said the effect of deforestation and forest degradation "is severe climate change, which has dire consequences for our livelihoods".
At the office, some of us joined the Minister, Dr Prempeh, who led the exercise by planting a lemon tree on the premises.
The ministry received a number of coconut, lemon, avocado, cashew and orange seedlings from the Forestry Commission to enable us to contribute to the exercise.
Of course, this is not the first publicised tree-planting exercise in this country. There have been, and there still are, several other initiatives, from the SADA-led one in the past to the Youth in Afforestation Programme.
But I think that by supplying the President and his Vice, ministers, MPs, other dignitaries and ordinary citizens seedlings for planting, a new paradigm to involve all of us in planting trees has been established, and long may it continue.
Looking beyond
Beyond the media fanfare and razzmatazz of last week’s event, there clearly is a lot of work to do if this initiative is to have any meaning.
This means pursuing the fight against ‘galamsey’ in all its forms, confronting illegal logging, making LPG more affordable for our rural communities that depend on wood fuel and many others.
Green awareness must be inculcated at a young age in our schools, possibly with inter-school gardening and tree-planting competitions.
We must purposely create and sustain urban parks to make our towns and big cities healthier places to live in as is done elsewhere.
We must find ways to reward homeowners who desist from concretising their compounds but rather plant trees and shrubs. Being a ‘Green Citizen’ must count for something.
I think the Forestry Commission has to do more to communicate better its programmes to create better awareness about our forests.
The commission, together with the Environmental Protection Agency and other stakeholders, must feature prominently in the national conversation about our country and must make its voice heard.
This weekend, I will be able to enjoy the shade of my avocado pear tree once again because sometime ago, someone had the foresight to plant the tree.
I have also done my part for someone in years to come.
Go on, plant a tree and let someone enjoy its benefits one day. Let’s all paint the republic in green.