Ngoma/Kirehe–The Minister of Natural Resources Stanislas Kamanzi has criticised Ngoma District over poor management of trees in the area.The minister said this on Thursday while inspecting trees that were recently planted in Ngoma and Kirehe districts in the Eastern Province. Kamanzi said that the government had invested a lot of money in planting trees, particularly on bare hills, hence the need to safeguard them.The minister, who was accompanied by the district mayor, Aphrodis Nambaje, particularly lamented that trees planted in Rurenge Sector, as well as on Munini hills in Remera Sector were in a poor state."It is indeed disheartening. The trees that were recently planted in this district have been outgrown by bushes and shrubs. They can’t grow as a matter of fact. Our efforts were thus rendered futile. We have to be responsible leaders and citizens to keep our forests alive,” he said before passing a stern warning to local leaders.The Minister later toured Kirehe District where he lauded the area authorities for good management of their forests."What is in Kirehe is quite contrary to Ngoma’s experience…the district has organised people in cooperatives to manage trees. Trees planted in Nyamugari Sector, Kiyanzi hills, and Mt. Nyamugari, are doing well. It all comes down to leadership,” he said.The Mayor of Kirehe District, Protais Murayire, told The New Times that the district planned to plant more trees across villages.He said that caring for trees was a big challenge that requires good leadership. "There is no magic. We involve the people…they use the space between the trees to grow crops, as they protect them as a pre-condition."This is done until trees grow old enough to live on their own…there are cooperatives to do this and we shall plant more trees,” he said.The government targets to plant over 22 million trees across the country by the end of 2012.