Indian Man Single-Handedly Plants a 1,360 Acre Forest - Tree of Souls

GhostTiger · #1 04-05-2012, 07:47 AM

I don't know if this is the right place for this topic, but I thought it was lovely and I wanted to share. Proof one person can make a difference.

Indian Man Single-Handedly Plants a 1,360 Acre Forest : TreeHugger

Quote:

A little over 30 years ago, a teenager named Jadav "Molai" Payeng began burying seeds along a barren sandbar near his birthplace in northern India's Assam region to grow a refuge for wildlife. Not long after, he decided to dedicate his life to this endeavor, so he moved to the site where he could work full-time creating a lush new forest ecosystem. Incredibly, the spot today hosts a sprawling 1,360 acre of jungle that Payeng planted single-handedly.

The Times of India recently caught up with Payeng in his remote forest lodge to learn more about how he came to leave such an indelible mark on the landscape:

It all started way back in 1979 when floods washed a large number of snakes ashore on the sandbar. One day, after the waters had receded, Payeng , only 16 then, found the place dotted with the dead reptiles. That was the turning point of his life.

"The snakes died in the heat, without any tree cover. I sat down and wept over their lifeless forms. It was carnage . I alerted the forest department and asked them if they could grow trees there. They said nothing would grow there. Instead, they asked me to try growing bamboo. It was painful, but I did it. There was nobody to help me. Nobody was interested," says Payeng, now 47.

While it's taken years for Payeng's remarkable dedication to planting to receive some well-deserved recognition internationally, it didn't take long for wildlife in the region to benefit from the manufactured forest. Demonstrating a keen understanding of ecological balance, Payeng even transplanted ants to his burgeoning ecosystem to bolster its natural harmony. Soon the shadeless sandbar was transformed into a self-functioning environment where a menagerie of creatures could dwell. The forest, called the Molai woods, now serves as a safe haven for numerous birds, deers, rhinos, tigers, and elephants -- species increasingly at risk from habitat loss elsewhere.

Despite the conspicuousness of Payeng's project, Forestry officials in the region first learned of this new forest in 2008 -- and since then they've come to recognize his efforts as truly remarkable, but perhaps not enough.

"We're amazed at Payeng," says Assistant Conservator of Forests, Gunin Saikia. "He has been at it for 30 years. Had he been in any other country, he would have been made a hero."

**mikkowilson** · #2 04-05-2012, 08:43 AM

This is totally the right place to post this.

Awesome story. Very cool.

- Mikko

txim_asawl · #3 04-05-2012, 12:25 PM

- and just the kind of news suitable to be tweeted and shared on Facebook, too...

Wiggling bare toes, happy to read, that there are still good human beings in the world, too,

~*Txim Asawl*~

**Raiden** · #4 04-05-2012, 07:13 PM

Good stuff.

I've always wanted to do something like this.

**Marvellous Chester** · #5 04-05-2012, 07:35 PM

30 years of planting trees?! This is my kind of guy. Were he in England, I'd buy him a pint

iron_jones · #6 04-06-2012, 03:49 AM

Very remarkable.

GhostTiger · #7 04-06-2012, 05:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by txim_asawl

- and just the kind of news suitable to be tweeted and shared on Facebook, too...

Wiggling bare toes, happy to read, that there are still good human beings in the world, too,

~*Txim Asawl*~

I did in fact share this on my facebook when I posted it here. Not one person had anything to say about it, not even a "like".

Faysawtute.

I'm so thankful for all of you here.

Human No More · #8 04-07-2012, 05:04 PM

Nice.

Looking at that photo, I'd never have guessed.

**Clarke** · #9 04-08-2012, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Silver Stag

30 years of planting trees?! This is my kind of guy. Were he in England, I'd buy him a pint

Were he in England, he wouldn't have the space.

auroraglacialis · #10 04-10-2012, 04:32 PM

I wonder what he lives on? I mean he still needs food and such. Also unless you harvest seeds yourself (but most trees take some years to make them), getting small trees or bamboo bushes to plant costs money. This is so amazing - if there is a way to do something like this without much money and even living from it, way to go! Where is the next piece of barren land that can be restored that way...
I hope his forest will last a long time and not be subject to some stupid deforestation because most likely he does not own the land himself and has to rely on the government to protect it? But given his heroic efforts, I sure hope that they declare it protected.

**Taronyu Eywa** · #11 04-11-2012, 12:05 PM

Now imagine if everyone just planted a couple of seeds here and there!

**Pa'li Makto** · #12 04-11-2012, 12:11 PM

Good on him!

auroraglacialis · #13 04-11-2012, 01:09 PM

I am experimenting with willow and hazel. They both can be cut into small pieces, like 30 cm long and put into soil where desired and it seems that they really grow easily from that. I need to find out how to best do this and when is the best time. This is a way to green up some landscapes while walking by. Also supposedly it works to bury hazelnuts or chestnuts or acorns into some soil by just pressing them in a bit. I guess one needs to do this in places that are now seeing a lawnmower though, otherwise it may not end up well for the tree...