New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) Ladakh Wednesday entered the Guinness World Records as a destination for most trees planted simultaneously with volunteers planting 99,103 Ladakhi willow saplings near the Hemis monastery.
In less than an hour, 9,814 volunteers planted the saplings at the Buddhist monastery near the city of Leh.
Kimberly Dennis from Guinness World Records from Britain adjudicated the attempt and made the announcement confirming the success of the attempt.
“The event was inspiring. Thousands of people braved inclement weather and worked in complete tandem to attain the goal. It was so exciting that I was almost compelled to cross side and become an active participant,” said Dennis.
The plantation drive was performed over an area of about 60 acres.
Volunteers sat with shovels at the spot marked for them, ready to dig a pit and plant a sapling as soon as the countdown ended.
Ladakhi willow saplings were planted by stem grafting with roots to grow in this time of the year.
The initiative was led by Live to Love, an international humanitarian organisation.
The previous record was held by the Philippines where 66,000 trees were planted within an hour in January 2011.
The volunteers were from all over Ladakh and many others who had travelled from Bhutan, Brazil, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, the United States, Australia, Canada and Malaysia.
