Jalandhar: Saplings planted to develop mini forest at Vajra Nature Park

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 14

The Vajra Corps, Jalandhar district administration and the District Forest Department joined hands and organised a mega tree plantation drive at Vajra Nature Park today.

The initiative was aimed at creating a mini Miyawaki Forest, which involves planting of 8,000 saplings of 34 native species of trees in the acreage of the existing Vajra Nature Park. The event witnessed planting of trees by Lieut Gen C Bansi Ponnappa, General Officer Commanding Vajra Corps, Ghanshyam Thori, Deputy Commissioner, Jalandhar, Hargurnek Singh Randhawa, Range Forest Officer, Jalandhar, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Police Commissioner, Jalandhar and other eminent personalities who had came together in their efforts for enhancing the green cover of the Jalandhar Cantonment.

Apart from the Miyawaki forest which includes a combination of shady trees, fruit bearing and ornamental trees, flowers and medicinal plants, a fruit orchard was also planted alongside, within the confines of the Nature Park.

Over the past one month, the Jalandhar Forest department has assisted the Vajra Corps by providing a total of one lakh saplings of native trees which have been planted in the Jalandhar Cantonment. The Miyawaki project, which is part of the Tree Plantation Drive, was conceptualised by Lieutenant General C Bansi Ponnappa, General Officer Commanding, Vajra Corps, based on the Japanese technique of forestation. The concept pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki in 1980s, involves growing dense forest in a small area with shrubs, trees and canopies. The densely planted vegetation grows exponentially in months rather than years, wherein the plantation follows its natural growth pattern and the technique helps in ensuring that plants grow 10 times faster and 30 times denser than normal plantation. It involves planting dozens of native species in the same area which becomes maintenance free after first two years and ultimately create a self-sustaining ecosystem.