The Forestry Commission office in Ashanti Region has officially launched its 2026 tree-planting exercise with an ambitious target to plant three million trees across the region this year.
The initiative builds on the momentum of a highly successful 2025 campaign, which recorded an impressive tree survival rate of over 85 percent.
Noble Isaac Eshun, the Regional Manager, announced this during a commemorative tree-planting event at the Armed Forces Senior High School in Kumasi.
The ceremony marked the official launch of the month-long ‘Tree for Life’ (T4L) Reforestation Initiative 2026, which coincided with the global celebration of World Environment Day.
According to Mr Eshun, the 2026 strategy will heavily prioritize long-term sustainability and environmental recovery over mere distribution numbers.
To him, most of the planting this year will be directed toward reclaiming degraded forest reserves. He emphasised that the Commission has implemented intensive monitoring mechanisms to actively track the survival and growth rates of the newly planted trees.
To maximise resource efficiency and prevent waste, the commission has introduced strict distribution caps for the general public.
He stated that individuals requesting seedlings will be rationed to a maximum of five trees each.
This, he said, is a deliberate strategy to curb waste of the seedlings, noting that evaluations of past exercises revealed some individuals collected seedlings, but ultimately failed to plant them.
He disclosed that free seedlings remain available for pickup at all Forestry Commission offices across the Ashanti Region for the duration of the month-long programme.
Dr. Frank Amoakohene, the Ashanti Regional Minister, urged residents to embrace domestic tree-planting to help Kumasi reclaim its historic identity as the “Garden City” of West Africa.
Dr Amoakohene stressed that discussions would soon be held with Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to enforce home-tree-planting initiatives designed to beautify Kumasi and the broader region.
Ohene-Asante, who represented the Bantamahene, Baffour Asare Owusu Amankwatia IV, advocated for the preservation of natural ecosystems.
He urged local authorities to desist from rezoning and leasing out nature reserves for commercial construction and fuel station developments.
He stressed that even if lands are rezoned, specific portions must be demarcated and reserved for the Forestry Commission to plant trees, protecting both the local environment and vital water bodies,” Ohene-Asante stated.
The traditional leader proposed a structural economic solution, requiring the government to collect a mandatory reclamation fee before issuing mining licenses.
This financial bond, he argued, would ensure that the state has the necessary funds to restore degraded lands and protect severely threatened water bodies if miners refuse to reclaim the sites themselves.
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