‘Leave Forests To Regenerate’

Following forecasts by
the Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET) for another flooding in 2013, a forester, Mr. Fredrick Nwokocha, has cautioned the public against indiscriminate activities in forests especially in the flood prone areas of the State in particular and Niger Delta as a whole.
Speaking to newsmen at his country home in Etche recently Mr. Nwokocha said the move would help the forests to regenerate gradually.
He said timber seedlings and shrubs which constitute forest undergrowth would suffer taking consideration of last year’s flooding.
He explained that non timber forestry materials like mushrooms, snails and the eggs of snails would burst due to saturation.
He said while bigger timber trees survived during the last flooding, the survival of smaller timber trees would not be favoured as the natural conditions for regeneration was almost absent.
Nwokocha who was a former Director in the State Ministry of Agriculture said the process of new trees growing  up was minimal as the top soil and organic materials has lost their nutrients.
He said this was a consequence of the washing away of the root area of trees during last year’s flooding which greatly hindered free tree growth.
“The forests should be allowed to regenerate naturally as what was  lost and would be lost  come 2013 flood cannot be replanted like the conventional annual crops”, he said.
He further called on the State and local governments to sensitise people on the need to minimise their activities on the forests.
On the effect on animal life, he expressed the fear that some animals were nearing extinction as they were in danger of even going completely extinct.
“Faster ones will run into danger while some will even end up being caught by man.