For the purpose, 39,709 square feet of unused land in Anbazhagan Nagar in Karandhai in Thanjavur has been identified, where 65 varieties of saplings would be planted, the Minister said. “A well would be dug to water the plants,” Velumani added. Rotary club at Thanjavur has come forward to maintain the forest.

The State government has been stressing on increasing green cover, and had decided to plant 71 lakh trees in 2020. Setting up Miyawaki forest, including the one in Thanjavur, is part of the policy.

Miyawaki is a Japanese method in which saplings of different varieties are planted close to one another, which encourages the plants to grow faster and would entail lesser maintenance. The method is not new to Thanjavur – local volunteers had set up similar clusters inside the 20-acre Kurichi lake in Ambalapattu at Orathanadu, creating islets to attract migratory birds to nest.