Plant Trees, Not Publicity: Kotgarh Shows Himachal the Way
KOTGARH, August 19: Plant trees. Not publicity. At a time when AI-generated content, recycled videos and viral reels are increasingly replacing genuine community work, villagers of Serti in Mangsu Panchayat have demonstrated what real environmental action looks like.
Community action took centre stage as residents, the Panchayat, NGO Doers and the Forest Department joined hands for a collective tree plantation programme in Serti village under Kotgarh Forest Division. The initiative focused on strengthening green cover through participation rather than publicity.
Native species formed the backbone of the drive with Jamun, Kachnar, Kadamb, Mahua and Jarul saplings provided by Gurusaranam Nursery and Landscapers, Jawalji, for plantation in the Himalayan landscape.
Local leadership made the difference as Vice-Pradhan Dalip Jaret and Ward Member Santosh mobilised villagers and ensured active participation, proving that Panchayats can become powerful institutions for ecological change when they work beyond ceremonial events.
Scientific guidance added lasting value through Dr Vaneet Jishtu, retired scientist of ICFRE-Himalayan Forest Research Institute, Shimla, who has been instrumental in raising the renowned North India Arboretum of rare native species at Potter's Hill near Summerhill in Shimla.
He educated villagers on suitable species selection, ecological benefits and the long-term responsibility of protecting planted trees.
Plantation is a commitment, not a photo opportunity, Dr Jishtu emphasised, reminding participants that watering, protection, maintenance and survival monitoring matter far more than uploading photographs on Facebook or Instagram after planting a sapling.
The contrast is becoming impossible to ignore as many individuals and institutions waste precious time and energy chasing false publicity through AI-generated environmental posts, recycled plantation clips and bizarre social-media content simply to gain cheap virality instead of delivering credible work on the ground.
Kotgarh offers an example worth following in Himachal's historic first apple kingdom pioneered by Satyanand Stokes, whose birth anniversary was also observed this week.
The region once transformed Himalayan horticulture through vision and hard work; today it can inspire a new movement of community-led ecological restoration.
This is the right season to act as abundant monsoon moisture across Himachal provides favourable conditions for saplings to establish themselves in both rural and urban landscapes.
Instead of competing for likes and shares, villages, resident welfare groups, schools and urban local bodies should convert plantation drives into a sustained people's movement.
The real legacy will stand for decades because AI can generate forests on a screen and recycled videos can manufacture applause, but only communities working together can grow living forests that protect soil, water, biodiversity and future generations.
#Kotgarh #TreePlantation #HimachalPradesh #GreenHimachal
