CHENNAI: The State government has launched the Green Tamil Nadu Mission, aimed at increasing the State’s tree and forest cover from 23.8 to 33 per cent of the geographical area by 2030-31 through afforestation on the degraded forest landscape and tree-planting outside forest areas.
Under this mission, 265 crore seedlings of native trees of economic and ecological significance will be planted over 10 years on suitable public lands such as urban areas, farms, educational institutions, temple grounds, sacred groves, industrial areas, tank foreshore, basin areas, and areas under the control of defence and police establishments, covering about 13,500 sq km.
Utmost care will be taken to ensure suitable tree species with optimum growth are planted considering the edaphic and climatic conditions of the site. The government has sanctioned Rs 21 crore for planting and raising 47 lakh seedlings this financial year. For the next year, Rs 17.80 crore will be sanctioned for raising 130 lakh seedlings. To manage the impact of climate change, the government has already announced two missions.