Indore breaks Guinness world record for largest single-day tree planting

The previous record held by Assam was surpassed by the city of Indore in Madhya Pradesh, which set a new Guinness World Record for the Largest Single-Day Tree Planting by planting over 11 lakh (1.1 million) plants in a single day.

The large tree planting event took place on July 13–14, 2024, as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” (One Tree in Mother’s Name) initiative. Across 24 locations in Indore, more than 10,000 volunteers from NGOs, local citizens, and other government organizations took part in the initiative.

Indore Sets the Record for Largest Single-Day Tree Planting

The state of Assam previously held the world record for planting the most trees in a single day, 926,000 plants. But by planting more than 12 lakh (1.2 million) trees by 5 PM on the second day, well inside the allotted 24-hour period, Indore broke that record.

Guinness World Records has acknowledged Indore’s accomplishment by handing Chief Minister Mohan Yadav of Madhya Pradesh with a certificate. In addition to its reputation for cleanliness, sound governance, and delicious food, Indore was also trying to become a “green city” by organizing a large tree-planting campaign.

Attending the event, Union Home Minister Amit Shah commended Indore’s achievement and stated that going forward, the city will be recognized for its environmental stewardship as well as its cleanliness and progress.

On World Environment Day last month, Prime Minister Modi announced the start of a tree-planting campaign, encouraging every Indian to plant a tree in honor of their mother. India’s national goal of increasing its forest cover is regarded to be greatly aided by Indore’s record-breaking effort.

Hailed by environmental experts, the program aims to battle climate change, improve air quality, and restore ecological balance through large-scale tree planting. Numerous other Indian states and towns have been motivated to adopt this mass tree-planting approach by Indore’s immense accomplishment.

As of 2021, 21.71% of India’s total land area, or 713,789 sq km, was covered by forests. India’s overall forest cover grew by 1,540 sq km in 2021 compared to the 2019 assessment. The states of Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Maharashtra have the highest percentage of forest cover. Since 2000, India’s area covered by forests has been expanding.

The National Forest Policy of 1988 in India set a target of having 33% of the country’s land covered with trees and forests. India’s entire land area covered by forests and trees is 80.9 million hectares or 24.62% of the country’s total land area. Over 33% of the land area is covered in forests across 17 states and territories.

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