As a result, the House did not sit, giving other members the opportunity to participate in the national exercise in their respective constituencies.

This is the third year the Leg­islature has suspended sitting to participate in the exercise which was instituted in 2021. In total, 300 trees were planted bringing to 700 the number of trees planted with a survival rate of 80 per cent since 2021.

Addressing the staff of par­liament before planting the first seedling for the day, the Speaker said the need for Ghana to restore its lost forest cover has become more critical than before.

“It is our shared responsibility as proud Ghanaians and global citizens to unite and safeguard our planet for present and future generations.

“Once blessed with abundant forests, Ghana has fell from a stag­gering 8.2 million hectares in 1900 to a paltry 1.6 million hectares at present,” he bemoaned.

The theme for the tree plant­ing exercise “Our Forests, Our Health,” the Speaker said under­scores how critical it is to preserve forests and vegetation for the well-being of humanity.

He stated that forests, the lifeline of the planet, play an irreplaceable

 climate change and act as natural carbon sinks, absorbing car­bon-dioxide and replenishing our environment with oxygen.

“We must proactively measure, conserve and restore all of the trees we have depleted because, deforestation, especially in urban areas has led to massive air pol­lution that we must act and act quickly,” the Speaker admonished and urged the enforcement of existing laws to protect what is left of Ghana’s forest cover.

The Acting Regional Manag­er of the Forestry Commission, George Agbenowoshi, said despite efforts to replenish the forest cov­er, it has been faced with human activities which retard their efforts.

He asked for stakeholder sup­port from traditional leaders and other interested institutions of state to sustain the Green Ghana Project to accelerate the resto­ration of Ghana’s lost forest cover.