Forest areas and coastal strips to be replanted with trees

About 3,000 hectares of forest areas that have been damaged by logging and several coastal areas nationwide will be replanted with trees.

Natural Resources and Environment Deputy Minister Tan Sri Joseph Kurup said this move was important to provide the flora and fauna for the survival of animals, especially birds, in these areas.

“It is also to absorb the three tonnes of carbon dioxide emission each year,” he said after launching a tree planting programme, ‘A Million Trees, A Million Dreams’, at the Bukit Sungai Puteh Forest Reserve in Cheras, here Tuesday.

It was organised by Shaklee Malaysia with the cooperation of the Forestry Department.

Kurup said to date, five million trees had been planted throughout the country under the campaign themed, “Hijaukan Bumi: Satu Warga, Satu Pokok” (Greening Earth: One Resident, One Tree) since it was launched in April last year.

“Perak recorded the highest number with 3.7 million trees planted,” Kurup said, adding that the programme targeted planting of 26 million trees by 2014.

He praised Shaklee for its effort and commitment to the tree planting programme in the Bukit Sungai Puteh Forest Reserve for a period of three years, and hoped the cooperation would continue after that.

In today’s programme, 150 saplings from 13 species were planted in this forest reserve.

Bernama