By the time the one-hour plantation drive came to an end, an open stretch of land on Ahmedabad’s outskirts looked very different.
More than 3.61 lakh saplings now stood where there had been bare ground just an hour earlier. Schoolchildren, residents, municipal workers, and volunteers had spent those 60 minutes planting one sapling after another, creating what is expected to become one of the city’s largest urban forests.
On 12 July 2026, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) set a new Guinness World Record by planting 3.61 lakh saplings in one hour using the Miyawaki method. Held at Bhadaj on the city’s outskirts, the drive brought together over 25,000 volunteers, surpassing the previous record of 3,31,929 trees set by Assam’s Forest Department in 2023.
While the achievement has found its place in the record books, the plantation itself is likely to leave a far longer mark on the city.
A different way to grow forests
The record was made possible using the Miyawaki method, an afforestation technique developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki.
On 12 July 2026, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) set a new Guinness World Record by planting 3.61 lakh saplings in one hour. Photograph: (Bharatiya Jana Seva Mission)
Unlike conventional plantations where trees are spaced several metres apart, this method involves planting native species close together. As the saplings compete for sunlight, they grow faster and develop into dense forests in a much shorter time. Over the years, these green patches can improve biodiversity, support birds and insects, absorb carbon dioxide, reduce dust, and help lower temperatures in surrounding neighbourhoods.
For the Ahmedabad drive, around 35 native tree species were planted across nearly 76,000 square metres. Though the site is filled with young saplings today, it is expected to gradually develop into a healthy urban forest.
The plantation is part of the Hariyali Lok Sabha initiative, an effort to expand green cover across the Gandhinagar parliamentary constituency. Officials have said the campaign is one of several steps being taken to increase tree cover across the region.
When an entire city joins in
Plantation drives usually involve a few hundred people. This one brought together tens of thousands.
Students, resident groups, government officials, and volunteers arrived with a common purpose, each contributing to the effort, one sapling at a time. Their work lasted just an hour, but the trees they planted are expected to remain for decades.
As Indian cities continue to grow, projects like these offer a practical way to bring more green spaces into urban neighbourhoods. Photograph: (Distinct Destinations)
As Indian cities continue to grow, projects like these offer a practical way to bring more green spaces into urban neighbourhoods. Dense forests created using the Miyawaki method require relatively small parcels of land, making them especially useful in cities where open spaces are limited.
The Guinness World Record is a milestone worth celebrating. But years from now, the real success of this effort will not be counted in certificates or numbers. It will be seen in the shade these trees provide, the birds they attract, the cleaner air they help create, and the reminder that even in a busy city, there is always room to grow a forest.
