Miyawaki forest on NIT-T campus attracts school students 

TIRUCHI

The Miyawaki model forest patches raised at two locations on the premises of National Institute of Technology - Tiruchi have drawn the attention of schools.

During this month, students of three schools - the campus school, Chellammal Vidyalaya and Tiruchi Public School - were shown the dense greenery. Santhanam Vidyalaya has also evinced interest in taking its students on a visit to the NIT-T campus, according to the Institute faculty.

A plantation drive to raise a Miyawaki model forest launched last year to commemorate World Forest Day has transformed into a mini-forest as intended.

The first patch of forest patch has been raised on an area of 0.58 acres at a central location with 60 to 70 native plants, 10 to 20 herb varieties, fruit and flowering tree saplings. Four thousand saplings were planted using the Miyawaki technique over a four-day duration by campus residents consisting of faculty, staff and students.

The native varieties planed include millettiapinnata (pungai), simarouba glauca (sorgam), syzygiumcumini / jamun (naaval), pithecellobiumdulce / manila tamarind (kodukkapuli), terminalia arjuna (neermarudhu), madhucalongifolia / mahua (iluppai), and magnolia champaca / champaka (senbagam).

Walking paths have also been laid out inside the dense greenery to enable residents in the campus to enjoy a nature walk.

Members of the Horticulture Advisory Committee, NIT-T, visited the Miyawaki forest maintained by Tiruchi Corporation in Srirangam, before embarking on the project. The site was layered with dried leaves collected from the campus, 84 tonnes of compost donated by Tiruchi Corporation and another 20 tonnes of compost from the institute’s compost yard. The alumni of the institute donated ₹25 lakh for the project.