Let’s Build Your City

Organize a Plantation Campaign

June 4, 2021

Objective should be very clear. 

  • To contribute for conservation of land and landscape or community land or other sites. 
  • To contribute for urban beautification or along roadside or median of roadside or pocket sites or individual properties. 
  • To contribute awareness and educate the students or youths or young people or young childhood. 
  • To celebrate international or national ceremony to remark the occasion. 
  • To celebrate birthday or Memorial Day etc. 
  • To build relationship between two countries and two parties or two organisations or two or many friendship occasions. 
  • To remark a special day for any individual or organisations. 

Note
Kindly advised – not to organise such event or ceremony without knowing the technique of planting and species selection acquaintance.

  1. Level of campaign or ceremony 
  • International at National Level or sub-national level or local level or community level or institutional level. 
  • National Level
  • Provincial level
  • Network/Professional level 
  • District/Municipality/School/institutional 
  • Community level 
  • Individual or household level
  1. Prepare a calendar of work 
Weeks before What to do 
72 weeks Plan for big campaign and include budget in the project planning cycle 
52 weeks Starts planning and set a team Consult concerned offices ( Department of Forests and Soil Conservation, Babarmahal) or District Level Offices such as Division Forest Offices, Watershed Management Offices, and other relevant offices
32 weeks Pick a dateFind organiser Choose a site Choose tree sizeDetermine tree count Set budget Begin for collaborators/sponsors 
18 weeks Select and finalize species Order or book the plants Confirm site Visit sites Form a coordination committee Allocate responsibility and roles Announce volunteers Consult local forestry technicians for support 
12 weeks Confirm the coordination committeeConfirm the species and seedlings Plan transportation of seedlings and equipment during plantation Manage the fund if needed
4 weeks Finalise the exact date of plantation to all volunteers, local community members, local government, and guests including all collaborators Gather tools Invite dignitaries and inform all the exact date, time, and location  of plantation 
One week Confirm volunteers and local leaders Confirm the seedlings and transportation meansAssure that the forestry technician available on the plantation and to monitor the transportation and site preparation 
Day before plantation Visit the site Adjust the location of pits Tree/Seedling delivery Manage pitting tools and other equipment If needed pitting before plantation day ( as per plan) 
Plantation day Get there on the site earlySet up registration Offer refreshments Register all participants including volunteersPrepare podium ( if needed) for informal simplicity it is suggested to organise in the open space naturally Welcome to the special guests and all Demonstration Dig, plant, and mulch Water trees Closing remarks Hand over responsibility to the local coordinators for protection and caring daily Clean up the plastic remains from the site and manage it
After plantation ( continue work) Water trees/ plant Weeding and pruning Replace dead plantsContinue monitoring and report to the local municipalities and respective offices and institutions 
  1. Determine the number of plants and number of participants
  • List out invitee 
  • Frame the ceremony type very formal or semi formal or informal 
  • Make sure the chief guest and his role and other organiser ( first/second/third according to roles) 
  • List out collaborators/ contributors/ Sponsors 
  • Figure out number of plants  and its type ( relate to the point 4 site selection and assessment results) 
  1. Assessment of plantation site/location/ownership 
  • Do reconnaissance survey ( visit sites and contact the local leaders and local enthusiastic supporters)
  • Make sure there is not any conflict and ownership problem during and after plantation.  
  • Collect the altitude ( by smart phone) location and take photos. 
  • Also collect the slope, aspect and if possible, soil type and similar vegetation type. 
  • Assess the connection from road how much distance ( it is most important for the preparation of transportation and carrying of seedlings from road head to the sites)
  • Assess the distance from Nursery site to the plantation site. 
  • Assess the means of seedling transportation. 
  • Assess the exact number of plants ( 2.5 x 2.5 m distance or other alignment), it will be 1600 plants in a ha land ( about 20 Ropani therefore for a Ropani land it needs 160 plants approximately or for a Kattha land 50 to 70 plants). 
  • For fruit species the distance may be longer than forestry species. 
  • List out species. 
  • For find out the exact species name after consulting forestry technicians ( you may contact nearby Sub-division forest office’s staffs or Division Forest Offices or Watershed Management Offices or Plant Resources Offices or Community Forest’s Nurseries if available)
  • You may consult private nurseries if available within the range of convenience.  
  1. Protection measures after plantation 
  • Assess protection measures and long-term protection measures. 
  • Identify a local person responsible for overall responsibility to organise the ceremony, protection, and report preparation. 
  1. Decision to organise the ceremony 
  • Make sure that the event or ceremony is organised very properly and the planted seedlings will be sustained in the site. 
  • Form a like minded institutions and people committee to organise the event or ceremony. 
  • Make sure the fund availability and volunteering support for the completion of the event. 
  • Make sure not to be a burden for other institutions. 
  1. Site preparation 
  • Identify where you want trees planted, in relation to streets, buildings, power lines, and other trees.
  • Decide where to set up the volunteer center for registration, refreshments,
  •  Indicate parking and restrooms.
  • Notify nursery where to deliver trees.
  • Determine where tools will be delivered and stored.
  • Dig the pits ( at least 30 cm wide and 45 cm height ) it depends on the size of plant bags. If the fruit trees are to be planted, then it needs to dig a big size pit such as at least 50 cm wide and 50 cm height and it may need up to one m wide and one metre height. 
  • Manage the manure and pitting properly aligned. 
  1. Organise campaign/Ceremony 
  • Arrive before the stated time. A few volunteers are sure to show up early.
  •  Set up tent and tables at volunteer site ( if needed to coordinate the organised event) 
  • Unload supplies.
  • Put up signage/banner of the ceremony 
  • Set out refreshments.
  • Opening ceremony
  • Group photo and chief guest photo 
  • Demonstration planting: Separate site 
  • Hand out cards with planting instructions distributed to show or demonstrate according to the method card 
  • Dig, plant, water, mulch
  • Closing remarks and thank you speech 
  • Gather and inventory borrowed tools
  • Site clean up
  1. Report and monitoring
  • A consistent watering and maintenance plan is the best guarantee of healthy trees and good insurance against insect and disease problems.
  • One rule of thumb is that trees need the equivalent of an inch of rainfall per week during growing season from March through October.  Therefore, regular watering is necessary if watering is available. If the planting ceremony and event is organised during dry and winter period, then it needs much watering regularly. 
  • Remove dead and injured branches and those that are crossing and in contact with other branches. 
  • Fertilizer is not tree food and should be applied only if needed.
  • Make sure that about 10% could need replacement over two years.
  • Check their status in late summer and plan a fall replacement planting.
  • Make a report yearly of the status and maintenance plan.