News--Welcome to National Chiayi University

　　The Forest Week 2019, organized by the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, National Chiayi University, takes place at the first floor of the Student Activity Center, Lantan campus, NCYU, from March 18th through 24th. With the theme of “Let’s Live a Forest Life,” the event this year features introductions and displays of the diverse forest ecosystems in the low, medium and high altitude regions in the Chiayi region. There are also a final presentation and sale of the forest-inspired handicrafts made by the students, and exciting activities such as checkpoint games about animals and plants in the forest. All, young and old, are invited to join the event. Field trips from kindergartens and elementary and junior high schools are also welcome.

　　To promote tree planting and environmental education in correspondence with the Arbor Day in March, a seedling giveaway will be hosted each day throughout the event. The seedlings include saplings grown by the students during silviculture internship and those bred at a seedling nursery run by a NCYU alumnus. There are also seedlings provided by the Chiayi Forest District Office, Forestry Bureau, which make the giveaway event grander than ever. The giveaway saplings span species from Cassia fistula, Acacia confusa, Mountain podocarp, Sapindus, to Duranta repens. (The species of the giveaway seedlings varies from day to day, which will be updated on the Facebook fan page.) All these are species of popular ornamental plants. There will be two sessions of giveaways each day, one at 9:00 a.m. and the other, 3:00 p.m.. (Due to the opening celebration, the seedling giveaway on March 18th starts from 10:00 a.m.. On the last day of March 24th, on which the Forest Week draws to end at noon, there will be only one session in the morning.) A limited number of seedlings are available each day, 150 on each weekday and 250 on each weekend day. Each visitor may get one pot with ten invoices, with three pots for each visitor as a maximum. The seedlings are given away on a first-come, first-served basis. No plastic bag will be offered. All the invoices raised will be donated to the Taiwan Environmental Information Association.

　　According to event organizer Huang Ying-Ying, the Forest Week, entitled “Let’s Live a Forest Life,” centers on the forests in the Chiayi region. The exhibition boasts professional introductions on the diversity of forests in the Chiayi region. Each participant of the point-earning checkpoint game will receive a lovely gift. The event also features a display and sale of handicrafts and accessories made of fruits, seeds or other parts of the plants by the students, as well as “forest creative canes,” made under instructions of Prof. Ho Kuen-Yih. The organizer hoped that all visitors could enjoy a fulfilling and memorable experience.

　　Event advisor Huang Ming-Yuan indicated that, unlike the previous editions, this year’s event extends through the weekend, considering some people work through weekdays. Tree climbing lessons and plant dyeing experiential activities, which are very popular with the local populace, will be held on Saturday and Sunday. The event is open to the public, who may either register in advance or on-site. It is free of charge for pupils from low-income families. With a wide spectrum of introductions and experiential lessons, the event aims to promote the idea that the forest is inseparable from our lives. The simple and concise introductions from the students allow the visitors to gain an insight into the beauty and mystery of the forest. Both young and old are welcome to the event on the Lantan campus of NCYU from March 18th to 24th.