With increased urbanization, there is need to shift from conventional forestry to incorporating trees in our urban settings.
The first step in establishing forests in urban settings is identifying trees that are native to the region and carefully raising them in potting bags filled with fertile soil, cow dung and coco nut pit. Shrubs and creepers must be grown alongside the trees.
Urban forest establishment
Prepare the ground for planting. This is done by removing stones and rocks from the planting area. Cow dung, coconut pit are mixed well with soil in a proportion of 10 kg per metre squared.
Keep the plants in the potting bags on the site where they will be planted for at least 2 weeks. This allows them, to get acclimatized to the new weather conditions.
Plant 4 plants per square metre. This allows them to grow faster as they compete for sunlight. Trees, shrubs and creepers should be grown together like in a real forest. Try to squeeze at least 400 plants of 100 varieties in a small area of 100 square metres.
Mulching can be done to keep the moisture of the ground. Add organic fertilizers to enhance faster growth.
