Govt convinced 230 million trees to be planted in 2009

- The government is convinced it will achieve its target of planting 230 million trees through its "One Man, One Tree (OMOT)" program this year, a senior official said.

Director General for Forest Rehabilitation Indriastuti said here on Wednesday that the target could be achieved based data that had been reported.

"Based on data that we have received we are optimistic that the target to plant 230 trees this year would be achieved. It could be even exceeded," the director general said here on Thursday.

Indriastuti said that based on data that she had received in the February-August 2009 period, a total of 22 million trees had been planted in 25 provinces.

She said that eight provinces had not yet sent their data on the number of trees they had planted. The trees that were planted were seedlings provided by the Forestry Ministry.

Based on the plan, of the 230 million trees, the forestry ministry would provide 36 million seedlings while the rests would be provided by all stakeholders, namely the provincial government, the district government and the municipal government.

They will use funds from the reforestation fund budget and from the private sector which takes part in the program.

Data that has reached the forestry ministry indicates that 13 provinces have provided 123 million seedlings.

"There are still 20 provinces which are expected to provide seedlings so that with that data I am convinced the 230 million target would be achieved, or even exceeded," she said.

She said that there was no a must on the species of plant that should be planted for the OMOT program. "We dub it as multi-purposes tree species, or a plant type which would provide many benefits such as those which could produce fruit, or rare plants and others," she said.