The Forestry Commission (FC) has embarked on a sensitisation campaign and tree planting exercise in schools meant to instil environmental consciousness in the younger generation.
The exercise is part of the wider Tree for Life Reforestation Initiative (T4L) rolled out by the government to restore the country's degraded landscape.
Under the T4L initiative, the government has targeted to plant at least 30 million tree seedlings this year in both reserve and non-reserve areas across the country.
In furtherance of that ambition, officials of the Forestry Commission held a tree-planting and environmental awareness campaign at the Achimota Anglican Basic School in Akweteyman in the Greater Accra Region last week.
The team from the Forest Services Division (FSD) of the Forestry Commission, led by the District Manager, Plantations Department, Grace Barnes, and the Assistant Regional Manager from the Greater Accra Regional Office, Winifred Ohene-Wiafe, visited the school to undertake the tree-planting exercise and educate learners and staff on the value of trees.
They sensitised the students to the need to plant and nurture trees as a demonstration of environmental stewardship.
The headmistress of Achimota Anglican Primary and Kindergarten, Sally Esinam Kudiabor, received the delegation from the Forestry Commission during an assembly of all the pupils on the school compound.
Awareness creation
The Forest Range Manager, Plantations Department, Eloi Abena Nketsiah, made a presentation on the importance of environmental consciousness, urging the students to get involved in planting trees to improve the quality of the environment.
The educational session concluded with a hands-on tree planting exercise.
In the presentation, she highlighted the importance of forests, the significance of trees in our everyday lives, and encouraged the pupils to adopt the responsibility of nurturing trees.
As a gesture for sustained tree planting, 18 tree seedlings, including veitchia palms, mangoes, avocado pear, Mellitia thonningii, and Bauhinia, were planted on the school’s compound and its boundaries.
In addition, 20 seedlings, comprising coconut, pear and mango, were distributed to teachers who were interested in planting in their homes and communities.
Sustainability
To ensure the sustenance of the seedlings planted, the team donated gardening tools such as watering cans, cutlasses, head pans, hand forks, hand towels, shovels and wooden cages to the school.
The headmistress of Achimota Anglican Primary and Kindergarten, Sally Esinam Kudiabor, expressed gratitude to the Forestry Commission for identifying the school as a strategic location for the tree planting exercise.
She said more of such exercises were needed to keep the environmental consciousness of the students alive.
Miss Kudiabor promised to take care of the trees planted together with the children and staff.
A teacher of Achimota Anglican Junior High School, Enoch Kwamena Asare, said the tree-planting exercise had practically complemented their efforts in the classroom on the importance of trees.
He expressed appreciation to the Forestry Commission and called for a broader collaboration that would extend to the surrounding communities.
Mr Asare said the pupils and teachers were thrilled with a renewed appreciation for trees and the environment, promising to take practical steps to protect the trees that had been planted from destruction.
