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Unimas plans for more trees at model forest

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UNIMAS vice chancellor Prof. Datuk Dr. Mohamad Kadim Suaidi (second left) during a symbolic of tree planting during tree planting programme with Japan-Malaysia Association at UNIMAS on Saturday (Nov 26). Also seen were Tadashi Sato (left), Prof. Dr Hamsawi Sani (third left) and Kazue Sakai (fourth left).

SAMARAHAN: The Tagasako-Unimas Educational Forest at the university grounds is coming along well to promote education, research and recreation for the public in future.

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) vice chancellor, Prof Datuk Dr Mohamad Kadim Suaidi said the programme was a joint-effort between Unimas and the Japan-Malaysia Association (JMA) together with the Forest Department Sarawak.

“This educational forest is the outcome of the Faculty of Resource Science and Technology’s collaboration with students, where the trees we plant here are sowed in a nursery built by the faculty and then planted at the site,” he said.

“If God wills, students will be able to make use of it when it subsequently grows well. They will be able to do research as well as teach and learn within the educational forest area itself.

“This educational forest will also help to reduce carbon emissions on campus in terms of carbon trading,” he said when officiating at a tree planting programme with the JMA at Unimas on Saturday (Nov 26).

UNIMAS vice chancellor Prof. Datuk Dr. Mohamad Kadim Suaidi (left) participates in tree planting programme for the Tagasako-UNIMAS Educational Forest at UNIMAS on Saturday (Nov 26).

The educational forest, which aims to have 20,000 trees of various indigenous species by the year 2023, will provide students with the chance and place to learn about different species of trees in Sarawak, without having to travel to the jungle.

In the programme on Saturday, the university planted around 2,500 saplings near its Tun Abdul Rahman Ya’kub Library (PeTARY).

Kadim said that although the university currently plans to plant 20,000 trees, they might plant more.

“After we were able to plant 2,500 plants today, around 20,000 trees have been planted since around 2018.

“This is now in its 5th or 6th year and has reached its goal. Moving forward after this, we will think of a new location for us to create in order to plant more trees,” he said.

Also present were Takasago Thermal Engineering (Malaysia) managing director Tadashi Sato, representatives for Japan-Malaysia Association (JMA) Prof. Dr Hamsawi Sani and Kazue Sakai, UNIMAS Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research & Innovation Prof Dr Wan Hashim Wan Ibrahim, representatives from the Forest Department of Sarawak, and FRST dean Assoc. Prof. Dr Samsur Mohamad.

Kadim during a group photo with participants of tree planting programme for the Tagasako-UNIMAS Educational Forest at UNIMAS on Saturday (Nov 26).