Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed will launch the national movement by opening a tree fair at Tangail sadar ground with a call for creating mass awareness to protect environment and biodiversity through stopping desertification and ensuring poverty reduction.

President Iajuddin Ahmed and the chief adviser issued separate messages on the eve of the occasion, describing tree as the friends of humankind and urging all to spontaneously participate in the large scale plantation all over the country.

The president in his message called upon all to plant more trees to increase forest resources across the country that would protect environment side by side maintain ecological balance in the country.

"Tree is good friends of ours, playing an important role to create a sound environment including ecological balance" he said describing tree as an integral part of the overall environment. "We are depended on trees in different way in our day to day life," he added.

Iajuddin Ahmed said trees could play a vital role for national progress and prosperity as they are considered friends in adversity.

He also congratulated those who got the Chief Adviser's National Award 2006 and hoped that they would further play their effective role in inspiring other people to plant different saplings in future for increasing the forest resources in the country.

In his message, Fakhruddin Ahmed urged all to turn the national tree plantation into a social movement by ensuring spontaneous participation of all in this highly significant task.

"Spontaneous participation of people is greatly needed to make the government efforts a success by planting fruit bearing, medicinal and timber trees and nursing them for their unhindered growth," he said.

The chief adviser also called for stopping felling of trees as Green South Asia 2007 for the first time is being observed in the Saarc region to expand multidimensional cooperation including green movement, sustainable development and protecting environment in this part of the world.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests has chalked out an elaborate programme on the occasion, which would be specially highlighted by both print and electronic media.