3M volunteers plant tree seedlings to help increase the ecological value of HK woodlands

Spring is in the air. It’s a great time to go into the countryside as the growing season gets underway. On April 2, 22 3Mers and their families and friends joined the Tree Planting Day organized by the 3MHK Love & Care Volunteer Team and The Green Earth, 3M’s green partner, to plant tree seedlings in the Shing Mun Country Park.

It was a rainy Sunday and the relative humidity around 90%. When the volunteers arrived at the Shing Mun drop-off point at 9:30 am, the forest track was still covered with mist. Nevertheless, they carried the tools and 120 tree seedlings to the plantation site. After the staff from The Green Earth gave detailed guidance on planting and irrigation, the volunteers set off to the slots on a gentle slope and got their hands dirty, literally.

3M has been organising the Tree Planting Day with The Green Earth for over three years. The green activity is part of the “Country Parks Plantation Enrichment Programme (PEP)” launched by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD). Under the programme, AFCD will select sites, arrange for the first-time thinning of exotic trees and provide native tree seedlings, while the participating NGOs are committed to taking up site preparation, tree planting and tree tending works at each PEP site. In addition, they will also conduct educational programmes and public participation activities to promote the value of biodiversity to society. Since 2016, a total of 38 hectares of plantations have been adopted.