Udhampur Forest Department’s Ambitious Monsoon Tree‑Planting Drive

When the first rainclouds rolled over the hills of Udhampur, the forest department wasted no time. The monsoon season, which usually signals a break from fire‑hazard threats, became the perfect cue for a large‑scale planting operation.

Range Officer Ayush Gupta, who heads the local division, told reporters that the team has already begun distributing saplings across the district. "With the onset of the monsoon, the fire season is essentially over, so we’ve launched our plantation activities right away," he explained, a hint of pride in his voice.

What’s striking is the sheer scale: the department’s two nurseries together hold about 1.35 lakh young trees, enough to meet the target of planting and handing out more than 1 lakh saplings. These aren’t just any trees – the species are being chosen carefully, especially to address a pesky local issue.

Udhampur has been grappling with a “monkey menace,” where hungry macaques frequently wander into villages, raiding crops and causing a lot of frustration. Gupta says the forest team hopes that by planting fruit‑bearing and fodder trees deep inside the forest, the monkeys will find ample food there and stay away from homes. "The aim is to ensure an adequate food supply within the forest itself, thereby reducing the monkeys' tendency to venture into urban areas," he noted.

The effort isn’t a solo act. The department is teaming up with defence forces, schools, NGOs and even private citizens. Together, they’re sowing hope – literally – in places that were once barren or sparsely vegetated.

While Udhampur’s green push gathers momentum, a far‑flung but related initiative has just taken off in Maharashtra. The Green India Challenge (GIC) launched its ninth edition at the confluence of the Godavari and Manjara rivers, pledging to plant 9.9 million native trees across the Godavari basin.

Described as one of the world’s largest citizen‑led climate actions, the GIC hopes to rally five million volunteers. The drive stretches from Basar to Trimbakeshwar along the Godavari, and also covers the Manjara and Pranahita basins. The urgency is clear: temperatures in Marathwada have jumped nearly four degrees Celsius this year, a worrying rise that the massive tree‑planting effort hopes to temper.

Both campaigns share a common thread – planting trees to restore ecological balance, curb human‑wildlife conflict, and fight climate change. Whether it’s the hills of Jammu and Kashmir or the riverbanks of Maharashtra, the message is the same: a greener India starts with each sapling we put into the ground.