Foresting the bare hills for ecological balance

NORTHERN PROVINCE On National Tree Planting Day, residents from all cells, including town freeloaders and motorists assembled hoes, pangs and got hold of plantlets to cover the bare hills in Musanze with trees. Local authorities, including the mayor and district police commander led the martch to the different designated areas for forestation. Everyone was required to plant at least more than two seedlings in all sectors. Mukashema Odette, the umudugudu coordinator in Busogo, proposed that the program be exercised every month in order to avert a possibility of desertification. “Trees help to keep volcanic soils intact, otherwise the running water from Virunga would leave northing but rocks. Our agriculture is being protected by the forests surrounding the mountains,” Mukashema said. Soil erosion has posed a threat, not only to the crops, but also to establishments such as houses, schools and roads especially during heavy rains. “We always build and floods come and leave us homeless, we have resorted to planting trees as a long-term plan to avert floods,’’ said Karama Vidaste,70, and living and working as a farmer in Kigombe cell. Ends