(Vientiane Times) Lao leaders and young children together planted trees in Vientiane on Tuesday to mark National Arbor Day and International Children's Day, and contribute to preserving the environment.

Party Secretary General and President of Laos Choummaly Sayasone planted trees alongside children representing Vientiane's districts at Kaysone Phomvihane Museum.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Thongloun Sisoulith, Office Head of the Party Central Committee Dr Bounpone Bouttanavong and other high-ranking officials also joined in the tree-planting activities.

The event aimed to raise awareness among young children of the importance of trees and the environment to human life.

Secretary of the Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Youth Union Khamphanh Sitthidampha told Lao media yesterday that tree-planting is part of Laos' 10-year goal along with building human resources.

“We want our children to feel a strong connection with trees, which are a priceless national and global resource. The environment is our livelihood so we want our children to love the environment and create a more livable society,” he said.

This year, Laos plans to plant saplings on at least 30,000 hectares nationwide to mark Arbor Day by encouraging all sectors in society, including villagers and businesspeople, to take part in the activities.

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's Forestry Department Director General, Dr Silavanh Sawathvong, said the planted trees will play an important role in reducing the unsustainable use of natural tree=s in the future, giving degraded forests the opportunity to be reforested.

“I think that more people have become interested in planting trees, particularly for commercial purposes. This will help us reduce the destruction of the natural environment,” he said.

Other forestry officials said the livelihoods of Lao people are closely associated with forests, but unfortunately much of these areas have been destroyed in recent decades.

Even worse, many large trees have been felled in the country's forests, including in protected and watershed areas.

Experts say forestry loss has contributed to climate change and caused weather events such as irregular rainfall, flooding and drought, affecting the livelihoods of Lao people, particularly the poor.

In 2010, flash floods hit the northern provinces of Laos, killing several people and causing more than 40 billion kip worth of damage.

The government has set a target to return the country's forest cover to 65 percent by 2015 and 70 percent by 2020.

In 2001, Laos had forest cover of 41 percent, but officials are currently conducting a survey to determine the present figure.

Tree planting activities to mark Arbor Day have been conducted since 1975, but have picked up considerably in the last 10 years.

So far, the planted trees cover an area of 300,000 hectares, which the government plans to increase to 500,000 hectares by 2020.