Forest in the making: Volunteers to plant saplings across 145 acres

The work will begin on September 1 at the Mahindra World City, where 145 acres of land is being converted into a forest.  Hafiz Khan, Forest creator, ComuniTREE, said that about 5,000 saplings will be planted in the space. “These will include native species like mangoes, lemon, jamuns and thoongumoonjimaram, etc.  We want to bring birds, butterflies and small animals into the space by giving them a dense green cover.”Aiming for a dense forest, the saplings will be planted with two-feet gap. “It takes several decades for forests to form. However, with closely placed saplings, we want them to compete with each other to get sunlight and grow faster,” he said.

On September 1, 10 blocks with more than 25 volunteers for each block will begin the process of making the forest, which is expected to grow in a span of 15 years. “Each of them will plant at least 20 saplings. We want to work on it every weekend,” he said.

While the idea emerged almost three years ago, and several companies were contacted, Mahindra volunteered with their land.  

As many as 10 lakh saplings will be planted. Hafiz said, “Anyone who has saplings and doesn’t know what to do with them or anyone looking for a place to plant can volunteer,” he said.CommuniTREE is also looking at making mini and micro forest spaces in schools and colleges.