Thetsumi Village in Phek district planted eight lakh native oak trees on Monday under the Trees for Wealth program initiated by The Entrepreneurs Associates (tEA). The plantation drive took place at the 250-acre barren community land of ‘Khutsaphfu’ where Thetsumi village has committed to plant 1.5 million native oak trees.
In a press release, Neikule Doulo, Executive Director, tEA, said that the first phase of the plantation drive witnessed the participation of 520 people from all the four khels of the village. Strongly advocating the importance of tree plantations and driving home the importance of an initiative such as this, the village declared a local school holiday to ensure that presence of high schoolers at the event, she added.
Expressed gratitude to The Entrepreneurs Associates, Vetshe Tsuzuh, Chairman, Thetsumi Village Council, said, “We have ample community lands, yet nearly 45 per cent have remained barren for years. Hence, I extend my gratitude to tEA for launching this program to rejuvenate our lands and contribute to the environment and our future generations.” Highlighting the difficulties that were part of the process leading to this drive Tsuzuh added, “After persistent advocacy, the people of Thetsumi have rallied today to achieve something significant and reclaim our wastelands. Additionally, we will formalize our commitment by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with tEA to safeguard these trees planted today for the next 25 years, ensuring they remain untouched by external exploitation.”
tEA CEO Neichute Doulo thanked the village for the collective milestone and stated, “It’s truly inspiring to witness Thetsumi Village, under the able leadership of the Village Council, uniting for such a noble cause. These trees, planted today, will be nurtured and carefully managed through pollarding, thriving for centuries to come. This milestone marks a significant step towards planting 2 billion non-fruit trees, showcasing Nagaland’s dedication to global tree planting efforts.”
The Trees for Wealth movement, initiated by The Entrepreneurs Associates (tEA), aspires to plant 1 billion fruit trees and 2 billion non fruit trees by 2050.
Neikule Doulo, Executive Director informed that over the last few weeks, tEA has been working relentlessly to rope in community leaders and villages to take forward the mission of planting both fruit and native trees for economic prosperity and positive climate action. The Trees for Wealth movement is underway in Nagaland and Manipur, with over 20 lakh fruit trees and non-fruit trees planted so far. She asserted that the transformative impact of this work will become visible in the next few years with the expected potential to transform rural landscape in the North East Region.
