The National Secretary General, Mr Kingsley Amadi appealed to the NACPDEAN Niger State Chapter executives and Charcoal Stakeholders to know that the task has begun and he prayed for God’s grace and wisdom to guide the pioneering NACPDEAN Niger State Chapter executives to execute its mandates to achieve the NACPDEAN vision and mission by adequately contributing to the well-being of our National Forest and environment.
NACPDEAN will continually set the ball rolling to make sure the sector is structured for a level playing ground and the ease of doing business for all the stakeholders within the sector to adequately contribute to Nigeria’s GDP and continue to earn huge forex for the nation.
1.0. Provision For Afforestation Programme In The NACPDEAN Constitution
Section 14.0 of the Constitution of NACPDEAN made provision for the establishment of an Afforestation Programme that oversees the activities and implementation of tree planting in different geopolitical zones of Nigeria, which all members have pledged their commitment to achieve.
1.1. Land Acquisition
The NACPDEAN shall work with the following government parastatals in acquiring land for its afforestation programme:
a) All State Governments;
b) Federal Ministry of Environment;
c) State Ministry of Environment;
d) The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development;
e) State Ministry of Agriculture; and
f) Traditional Rulers.
The programme is targeting 15,000 hectares of land for the tree planting project in every State. To achieve the proposed Land allocation for the afforestation, several environmental factors of the site must be analyzed, including climate, soil, vegetation, and human activity. These factors will determine the quality of the site, the species of trees to be planted, and what planting method to be adopted.
2.0. Implementation of Afforestation Programme:
2.1 Preparation for the Afforestation Programme;
2.2 Target Communities for the Afforestation Programme;
2.3 Inventory and development of the vegetation and land-use Maps;
2.4 Inclusion and Participation of the Local Communities;
2.5 Methods of Plantation Establishment.
a. Taungya method of plantation establishment;
b. Direct Pay Labour.
2.1. Tree planting: Tree planting
The team of NACPDEAN Afforestation (Agroforestry) Programme will work in partnership with the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), the Department of Forestry in the Federal Ministry of Environment, Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, and other consultants in forest management to achieve the planting of 15,000,000 (Fifteen million) Trees per State with the international spacing standard of two (3 to 4) meters between each trees on the proposed allocated 15,000 hectares of land in every State in Nigeria.
Selection of the site will also take cognizance of the climate condition, physical characteristics of the soil, flora and physiological information, hydrology, erosion problems and other factors. All these will determine the choice of techniques and species of tree to be planted.
a. Selection of Tree Species for the Afforestation Programme:
i. Indigenous tree species;
ii. Exotic timber tree species;
iii. Economic tree species.
b. Establishment of Nurseries for Afforestation (Agroforestry) Programme (long-term);
c. Livelihood Support Plan.
3.0. Risk and Contingence Plan – The main risks that can jeopardize a successful implementation of the identified actions, and the mitigation measures that can be adopted by the project team has been specifically strategized.
4.0. Development of Sustainable Harvesting Plan – In collaboration with the local communities and the professional advice of our consultant, all the planted trees shall be well protected from all forms of illegality and encroachments. The trees shall be well managed until they are fully matured for the production of fruits, timber and other products.
5.0. Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Plan – The afforestation working committee of NACPDEAN and the managing director of our forest foundation will carry out monitoring and evaluation of the progress of the planted tree seedlings in the plantation sites.
6.0. WORKING PLAN FOR THE AFFORESTATION PROGRAMME:
Short Term, Medium Plan and Long Term.
1 Preparation for the Afforestation Programme Development of Livelihood Support Plan Development of Sustainable Harvesting Plan;
2 Identification of the target Communities for the Afforestation Programme Assessment of Risk and Contingence Plan Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Plan;
3 Inventory and development of the vegetation and land-use Maps. Development of Production Sharing Contract Expansion of the afforestation programme to other parts of the country;
4 Inclusion and Participation of the Local Communities Market identification for the timber and economic tree species;
5 Land Acquisition;
6 Selection of Tree Species for the Afforestation Programme;
7 Establishment of Nurseries for Afforestation Programme;
8 Implementation of Taungya method of plantation establishment.
NB: Kindly note that we have engaged a consultant who is a professional forester, a doctor, and also an Associate Professor of Forest Socio-Economics. He has research experience in forestry spanning across countries like Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, South Africa and Nigeria. He is a member of the Forestry Association of Nigeria and also an FSC Individual member.
My humble self as the National Secretary General of NACPDEAN will always ensure that innovative solutions and mechanization are leveraged to upscale the production and processing capacity of NACPDEAN members and stakeholders to meet the local needs and international demands/markets.
NACPDEAN will always continue to strive for adequate: Biomass Energy, Ecological Afforestation, Nation Building, Transparency & Traceability of the sector.
For more details, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjhknnqXQrQ
Thank you all.
Kingsley K. A. Amadi
National Secretary General
NACPDEAN