President to implement national program to increase forest density

The Government will implement a National Tree Planting Program from January next year and carry out for three years to save the forests and increase the declining forest density in the country, President Maithripala Sirisena said.

The President said the support from everybody including politicians is needed to successfully complete the program, which aims to increase the forest density in the country from the present 29% to 32% in three years.

The President made these remarks at “Vana Ropa” National Tree Planting Ceremony held Sunday (11) in Kotmale. The President planted a Na sapling, symbolising the ‘Vana Ropa’ National Tree Planting Ceremony.

The President said that it is everyone’s responsibility to protect natural resources of the country. The forest resources in Sri Lanka has rapidly been destroyed during past few years, he said.

“Forest density has been saved even to a certain extent in the North and the East where the war existed,” he added.

President Sirisena noted that illegal sand mining, felling trees and destroying forests have an adverse effect on the environment and some racketeers engaging in various practices destroy the environment without any consideration of the future. He said the government will strictly enforce the law and take legal action against them regardless of their social status.

Though development and technology have brought lot of things to world, they have paved way for the destruction of the nature, the President pointed out.

“Protection of natural resources and planting of trees are essential for the existence of the living beings including humans. Environmental destruction is also the destruction of all beings in world,” the President further said.

Following the tree planting ceremony, the President visited the Kotmale Dam on an observation tour.

Ministers Lakshman Kiriella, Naveen Dissanayake, Deputy Minister Anuradha Jayaratne, Chief Minister of Central Province Sarath Ekanayake, and several others participated in the ceremony.