UP forest department’s massive drive to plant over one crore saplings in the state in a single day on July 31 finally got the ultimate recognition — Guinness Book of World Record. The department received the certificate on Tuesday.

It was indeed a green revolution and the Guinness recognition that came to the state forest department just six months after the task was taken up more than certifies the exercise. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has already certified the drive.

VN Garg, the then principal secretary, forest, who spearheaded the drive, expressed satisfaction over the achievement. “The main aim of the exercise was generation of awareness which has been successfully met. It does not matter how many people came ahead to plant trees, but if we have managed to bring even a single person from a household, we can say the drive was successful.” Declining to take the credit of the exercise being his brainchild, he called it a “team effort” and wished it to be taken ahead.