The Central Regional office of the Forest Services Division of the Forestry Commission (FC), has expressed its optimism towards the success of the second edition of the Green Ghana initiative.

It said the Region was 80 per cent prepared to embrace the Day and will accomplish the President’s vision through the Ministry of Land and Natural Resources (MLNR) to restore all lost Forest reserves and water bodies in the country.

Mr Michael Pentsil, the Regional Manager of the Forest Services Division disclosed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Cape Coast.

He stated that the Region was expected to plant about 1.6 million tree seedlings, come Friday, June 10, 2022, under the Green Ghana Project.

The trees expected to be planted in the Region this year is 1,599,350.000.00 more compared to the 650,000.00 planted last year.

The Regional Director said that media engagements and television and radio advertisements had begun in the Region to create awareness to whip up the interest of the public to partake in the exercise.

Also, he said invitation letters were distributed to all 23 Metropolitan Municipal District Assemblies (MMDAs), Departments, Institutions, Schools, Religious bodies, and Traditional Leaders among others to solicit their support for the upcoming exercise.

Mr Pentsil noted that all kinds of trees to be planted on the scheduled date were ready and called on everyone to plant a tree to support the course.

Some trees to be planted this year include fruit trees, ornamental trees, and indigenous and exotic trees, among others.

The Region, Mr Pentsil said was divided into four sectors namely; Assin Fosu, Dunkwa, Winneba and Cape Coast to ensure all areas particularly, the remotest, were captured in the planting project to help achieve this year’s milestone.

Last year, during the maiden exercise of the Project, more than 650,000.00 were planted across the 23 Metropolitan, Municipal and Districts (MMDAs) in the Region and 85 per cent of them are growing well, according to the FC.

The afforestation project is aimed at speedily retrieving and revamping degraded lands and restoring the country’s lost green environment.

The government, with support from various stakeholders, undertook a nationwide tree planting exercise last year to restore the country’s forest cover.

More than five million trees were planted across the country as part of the Green Ghana project which is also to encourage the citizens and inculcate in them the habit of planting trees to protect the vegetation cover for a balanced ecology and as a long-term measure against heavy storms.

The Green Ghana project is a presidential initiative launched by President Nana Akufo-Addo on March 23, 2021, to rally Ghanaians to preserve the country’s forest and beautify every community.