PRESIDENT YUDHOYONO LEADS TREE PLANTING IN BANDUNG

Bandung, Dec 8 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono conducted tree planting in Ciherang, Padalarang, Bandung, West Java, on Tuesday in connection with the Indonesia Tree Planting Day and National Tree Planting Month 2009.

"One of the sources of environmental destruction is poorly managed forests," he said.

In view of that he said it was the common task of all people to conduct reforestation and save and protect the forests.

The head of state appealed to governors, district heads and mayors to lead the people with regard to the tree planting movement. He also invited companies and non-governmental organizations to join in the effort.

Before around 250 invitees at the occosaion he explained about the positive elements in "trembesi" trees. He even pledged to distribute trembesi tree saplings free to all who wish to plant them.

On the occasion President Yudhoyono planted a "Jabon Merah" (Anthocephalus macro-phylis) tree while First Lady Mrs Ani Yudhoyono "Jabon Putih."
Two hundred invitees and more than 1,000 participants then followed suit.

Various kinds of trees have been prepared for the occasion. The president on the occasion was accompanied by forestry minister Zulkifli Hasan and West Java governor Ahmad Heryawan.

The location for the tree planting which is not far away from Parahiyangan housing complex is the water catchment area for three dams in West Java including the Saguling dam providing water for the Saguling hydro power plant.

Destruction in the upper reaches of Citarum river has caused sedimentation in the Saguling dam built in 1984 with a capacity of keeping 609 million cubit meter of water.

The water from the dam is also used to irrigate 900,000 hectares of rice fields and to produce 2.156 GWH a year.

Through the tree planting drive held on the location it is expected people living around it would be moved to reforest the area and safeguard the environment.

The tree planting campaign movement was started in 2007, to then support the implementation of the Climate Change Summit in Bali.

So far a total of 86,989,425 trees have been planted in 2007 and 108,947,048 in 2008 through the campaign.