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Rural Villages Join Planting Trees to Celebrate the ROC Centennial Activity

2011-03-12

Whole Nation Enthusiastically Participates in “Pinning Hope on Planting Seedlings in Rural Villages” Activity

In response to the “Planting Trees to Reduce Carbon Emissions in the ROC Centennial – Pinning Hope on Planting Seedlings in Rural Villages” activity sponsored by the Council of Agriculture (COA), President Ma Ying Jeou, accompanied by Vice President Vincent C. Siew, secretary-general and deputy secretary-general to the President and others, planted five plum trees in celebrating the 100 th founding anniversary of the Republic of China in synchronous video links with community representatives in 15 cities and counties. President Ma also offered condolences and expressed willingness to provide necessary assistance to Japan after a magnitude 8.9 earthquake hit Miyagi Prefecture and called on the nation to enhance the awareness of energy conservation, carbon emission reduction, disaster prevention, reduction in the situation of global warming and extreme weathers, saying that it made taking part in today’s Arbor Day activity more significant. Meanwhile, Premier Wu Den-yih, in the company of COA Minister Wu-hsiung Chen, participated in the tree-planting activity in Dajin Community in Dongshan Township, Yilan County .

Community Energy Conservation and Carbon Emission Reduction Campaign to Reduce 3,500 Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide Emission

The COA said in line with celebrating the ROC centennial, rural communities throughout the country were invited to take part in the expanded tree-planting activity and a total of 80,000 people in 1,082 rural communities joined the activity, hoping that to promote the tree-planting activity among the grassroots will inspire the pride and cohesion of community residents. It is estimated that planting some 750,000 tree seedlings of regional characteristics will make an area of some 242 hectares green, an equivalent to the size of 10 Da-An Forest Parks, and absorb some 3,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide. Moreover, in the activity the Forestry Bureau provided communities with planting seeds education and training to help community residents understand the correct concept of planting trees and advocate preventing and treating the invasion by such foreign plants as mile-a-minute weed and Common Parthenium to protect the native natural ecological environment.

Combining Rural Clean-up with Planting Trees in Communities

The Council stressed that the activity was combined with the “Rural Village Clean-up for a Bright New Year Activity” to encourage communities participating in the “Root Cultivation Program” to plant trees in free space cleaned up before the New Year’s Day, buffer green belts, community belt space and household green gardens and implement the spirit of the Statute for Regeneration of Rural Villages which encourages planting trees in rural communities and setting up green belts with ecological and buffer functions. The COA also expected to guide those who left for employment to return home and participate in the activity in order to develop feelings of love for their homeland and create a quality rural environment for energy conservation and carbon emission reduction. ( 2011-03-12)