Tree Credit Certificate panel appointed to create draft

Two years after being proposed, the state government’s Tree Credit Certificate (TCC) system is on its final stage, as a panel comprising former and present forest officials has been appointed to create the draft of the project. The proposed system, created to offer monetary gains to those taking proactive part in plantations is created to ensure expansion of green cover of the state.

Senior officials from the ministry of forest and environment confirmed that the system was put in place to ensure that the state is promoting the central government plan to expand the green cover of the state from the current 20 per cent to more than 33 per cent. As the state has also planned to plant about 2 crore trees in July, a part of the first ever monsoon plantation programme, the Tree Credit system will act as an added encouragement for those taking active part in the plantations on repeated basis. “In order to focus on global warming and environment degradation, we need residents to come forward and plant trees. However, if the people involved get monetary benefits for the same, under the TCC system, it will act as a major conservation boost factor,” said a forest ministry official.

The system, which is a brainchild of Tasneem Ahmed, former principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF), Maharashtra, was explained in the form of a presentation to the forest ministry on December 29, 2015. As the ministry has given a go ahead to Mr Ahmed, a five-member committee, headed by PCCF Sarjan Bhagat, FDCM MD, CCF (education & research); Nitin Kakodkar, CCF of Amravati; Sanjeev Gaur and Mr Ahmed will prepare a report regarding the system and submit the same to the ministry by September 3.