MASERU – The Ministry of Forestry is set to embark on a massive tree planting campaign starting this week to take advantage of the torrential rains that the country is currently experiencing. The move by the ministry is meant to ensure that the entire country is covered with trees within no time.
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Feb. 17, 2020
GERALD MOLUPE
3 min read
Trees should be planted - here is why!
The plan is to plan all types of trees, but the indigenous ones will be given first preference. “We are going to engage all government ministries to ensure that this project sees the light of the day,” the director of forestry, Sekoati Sekaleli said, adding that the intention was to take advantage of the good rains.
The campaign he said would start at the Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology. “We plan to ensure that we plant a total of between 200 and 300 trees every Friday, we will not just plant them and leave them there, but we will take good care of them and protect as much as we can,” Mr Sekaleli said.
He noted that for now, the ministry will start with wood trees adding that later in the year, around June, July, they will shift their focus to fruit trees. “Trees have a plethora of benefits which are not limited to providing firewood, fruits and conserving nature, but they are also beneficial for tourist attraction purposes,” he said.
The ministry, he showed is willing to assist people who want to start tree planting by providing technical assistance. “The plan is to resuscitate the old forests which are now depleted. This time around, we want to leave blue gum trees behind because studies have shown that they suck and drain moisture from the ground, leaving the land dehydrated,” he said.
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History shows that Morija was a swampy before the arrival of missionaries in 1833 in Lesotho. As a strategy to control the swampy area, the missionaries planted blue gum trees.
Today, the area has run out of water sources to an extent that even the basic facilities such as the hospital are facing a dire need of water. The blue gum trees in the area have drained all the water sources. Mr Sekaleli said they are not only going to put their focus in Maseru, but they will roll out the project to other districts adding it is in fact a national project.
“By the end of the month, we will be in Ha Motloheloa on the outskirts of Maseru to fill up a forest whose trees are being cut down at an alarming rate,” he said. He adds: “We want to change the sleepy complexion of most parts of Lesotho through tree plantations.”
In a bid to ensure a consistent planting of trees, the late chief Leabua Jonathan-led government introduced the National Tree Planting Day. Later when the military regime took over, it also extended the initiative.
When the congress movement took over the reins of power, the Ministry of Forestry was formed but it was more concerned with filling up gullies to prevent soil erosion.This means tree planting was no longer given priority. In most areas in the country, there remains a number of huge man-made forests, which were started by chief Jonathan’s administration.
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