Smurti Van: A Miyawaki Forest

Why in the News?

Recently, Prime Minister inaugurated Gujarat’s Smriti Van memorial dedicated to earthquakes victim in Kutch (2001).

Key Points:

• The dense forest is made through the Miyawaki method.

• It has been made in just 37 days.

• Location: At the Bhujiya hill in the Bhuj district.

About Miyawaki method:

• • The Miyawaki technique is a method of planting saplings close together in small plots of land to create a forest in a short duration.
  • Introduced by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki.
  • Plants draw nutrients from each other and become healthy.
  • A dense forest, which grows in 300 years is created in 30-35 years.
  • Trees grow 10 times faster and density is 30 times that of normal tree plantations.

• Significance: 

• • More bio-diversity than monoclonal plantations
  • Absorb 30 times more carbon dioxide