Zabre: The vital forces, technical services as well as the administrative, customary and religious authorities of the commune of Zabre, in the province of Boulgou, mobilized on Saturday morning for the celebration of the National Tree Day, with the ambition of planting more than 20,000 seedlings.

According to Burkina Information Agency, presiding over the official launch of the operation, the prefect, president of the special delegation (PDS) of Zabre, Alain Boubie Bassono, indicated that this presidential initiative aims to combat the degradation of the national forest cover, estimated at more than 100,000 hectares per year. “Today, the plan is to plant five million trees in one hour nationwide. In our region, the goal is to exceed 500,000 plants,” he said.

The PDS reported that initial field reports showed more than 3,000 plants had been planted by early morning, with final statistics to be confirmed later. He praised the strong mobilization of public institutions, local organizations, and partners who contributed to the acquisition of seedlings and protective equipment. The support of Youga mine, through Soleil Resources, was specifically acknowledged for providing protective netting and seedlings.

Despite the enthusiasm, the prefect acknowledged the challenge of ensuring the survival of the planted trees. “The success rate of seedlings planted in previous years does not exceed 50%,” he noted, urging the population to enhance protective measures. “Planting is one thing, but protecting is another. The first form of protection is to install grids to increase the plants’ chances of survival,” he insisted.

Alain Boubie Bassono took the opportunity to encourage agricultural producers at the start of the winter season, urging them to utilize agricultural inputs effectively to achieve food self-sufficiency. He also appealed to owners of stray animals to contain them, as “rambling animals is a source of conflict, accidents and destruction of young plants.” The municipal police will continue operations to capture stray animals in line with current regulations.

National Tree Day is celebrated this year under the theme of restoring vegetation cover and citizen involvement in combating the effects of climate change.