Chandigarh: Class VIII student plants 500-plus trees in summer holidays

CHANDIGARH: Upset by the news of cutting 500 trees to make a flyover, a class VIII student of Strawberry Fields High School, Sumeir Bhatia, dedicated his entire summer vacation to planting trees. He planted over 500 trees in villages adjoining Chandigarh.
"After reading about the news, I questioned myself what was more crucial - sustaining the environment or developing infrastructure. I felt that such developments should not be made by harming the environment," he said.
Sumeir said he then decided to do something to preserve the environment, so he started visiting villages near Chandigarh where rapid infrastructural development and deforestation had taken their toll on the areas. "We organized many tree plantation drives and planted over 500 trees to give a boost to afforestation." Sumeir said. "We named the initiative 'The Tree Box' and used the unique system of beejball afforestation to create more green areas. In the process, we made balls of seeds, clay and compost and sowed them at different places. The beejball system helps trees grow faster without much human care and intervention," he added
"Beejballs is an easy way to help our struggling ecosystem. These have an advantage over scattering native plant seeds, which are often eaten by insects, birds, and rodents or washed away in the rain. Seed in the balls of clay and compost remain protected. When it rains, clay holds water and helps seeds germinate and grow," Sumier added.
It is pertinent to mention here that deforestation has resulted in rapid climatic change and loss of biodiversity. Data collected by the World Resources Institute reveals that about 80% of forest land on Earth has already been lost due to deforestation.