June 8
MONSOON has already come here. Rainwater washes everything to be clean and tidy. The natural environment is painted with greening works. Hence, everybody is fresh and active under raindrops.
All Myanmar people are decorating the environment with the growth of trees for greening the environs. They try hard to barren plains and hills with saplings to be able to change the climatic conditions as part of mitigating the high temperature of dry zones in central Myanmar.
Various kinds of media feature the efforts of the people who participate in the tree-growing ceremonies in the monsoon across the nation. Various towns and villages are engaged in the cultivation of staple crops as well as shade trees with reliance on rainwater for the continuous thriving of the plants.
From the time of growing, all saplings should be under care for thriving with watering, weeding, preventive measures of fire and destruction of cattle in all seasons so that the saplings must develop cent per cent.
Till today, the majority of Myanmar people are using firewood and charcoal for daily cooking processes. So, they rely on forest products from natural forests. To be able to reduce such a reliance, it is necessary to establish at least two acres each of firewood plantations in all villages for taking firewood if necessary.
The government has given guidance for the conservation of forests while encouraging the people to grow saplings. In this regard, it was learnt that arrangements have been made for growing some 20 million saplings in 24,269 State-owned forests this year, compared with 23,973,051 plants in 28,715 acres of the forests in the previous year’s monsoon.
The growing of trees directly benefits not only growers but the environment. Only when forest land is larger will it change the climate change as well as the livelihoods and daily lifestyle of the people.
The UN FAO stated that parts of Myanmar are covered by 51.54 per cent of forest areas in 2000, 46.96 per cent in 2010, 42.92 per cent in 2015 and 42.19 per cent in 2020. Hence, all the people including authorities need to strive to prevent a decline in the percentage of forest areas in the nation.
Actually, just the cultivation of saplings is not enough for all. Truly, all the people are responsible for the conservation of the trees and forests in cooperation with the relevant ministry which need to definitely nurture the already grown saplings for long-lasting thriving. If so, the monsoon tree-growing ceremonies will have achievements and they will be meaningful.
