The Social Forestry wing of the Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department is planning a massive tree-planting drive in Alappuzha as compensatory afforestation for the trees felled for the development of the National Highway (NH) 66.
According to officials, as many as 70,000 trees will be axed to widen the Thuravoor- Oachira stretch of the NH 66 to 45 metres. Of the trees facing the chop, around 12,700 are large ones (over 70 cm in diameter). As per the guidelines, 10 saplings need to be planted for cutting down each large tree.
To compensate for the loss of green cover, the department will plant around 1.4 lakh saplings across the district. "Our plan is to plant one lakh casuarina saplings in coastal areas. Another 40,000 fruit-bearing trees will be planted in public places and educational institutions. The planting of fruit-bearing trees has already begun. We have also recently planted 20,000 mangroves in Pattanakkad block," said John P., section forest officer (social forestry), Alappuzha.
