OGUN TO SET UP TREE ORCHARDS IN GOVT. FOREST RESERVES

The Ogun State Commissioner for Forestry, Engr. Taiwo Oludotun, has said that the Ministry has concluded arrangements to set up tree orchards in all forest reserves to ensure all year-round availability of trees of various species in forest reserves scattered throughout the three Senatorial Districts of the State. 

          Orchard is a landed area earmarked for seed collection and processing after which they can be used for plantation purposes. 

 Engr.  Oludotun, who stated this while addressing management and forestry staffers, added that the orchard would be barricaded to forestall stray animals and encroachment.          

 He charged officials of the Ministry saddled with the responsibility of manning its reserves to brace up for the challenges ahead, saying visits would be made to the reserves across the State in the next few weeks.

          While inspecting a demonstration orchard behind Block D, Governor's Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, Oludotun asked the Director of Silviculture to forward relevant documents transferring the ownership of the portion of the land to his office. 

          According to him, "we must ensure we make our presence felt in this place. It is by doing this, an outsider would know that we are really on ground’’, he said. 

 In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr.  Rotimiolu Akinlesi pledged the commitment of the Ministry’s officials   towards achieving the agency’s goals and objectives on afforestation in the new year.