Ahmedabad Plants 361,000 Trees in 60 Minutes

Picture 25,000 people racing against the clock to plant trees as fast as their hands can move. In Ahmedabad, India, that's exactly what happened when an entire city came together to transform empty land into a future forest.

On July 12, 2026, volunteers in Ahmedabad set a new Guinness World Record by planting 361,000 saplings in just 60 minutes. The previous record of 331,929 trees, set by Assam's Forest Department in 2023, fell as schoolchildren, residents, municipal workers, and volunteers worked side by side at Bhadaj on the city's outskirts.

The massive plantation used the Miyawaki method, a Japanese technique that packs native tree species close together. Unlike traditional tree planting where saplings are spread meters apart, this approach creates competition for sunlight that makes trees grow up to 10 times faster and 30 times denser.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation planted 35 different native species across nearly 76,000 square meters. What looks like a field of young saplings today will gradually develop into a thriving urban forest that can support local birds, insects, and wildlife.

The Ripple Effect

This isn't just about breaking records. Dense urban forests created through the Miyawaki method offer real benefits to neighborhoods: they absorb carbon dioxide, reduce dust pollution, lower surrounding temperatures, and create green spaces in cities where land is limited.

The plantation is part of the Hariyali Lok Sabha initiative to expand tree cover across the Gandhinagar parliamentary constituency. As Indian cities continue growing rapidly, projects like this show how even crowded urban areas can make room for nature.

The volunteers' work lasted only an hour, but the impact will stretch across decades. These trees will provide shade on hot summer days, clean the air residents breathe, and offer a quiet reminder that when thousands of people unite around a single purpose, they can literally change the landscape.

Years from now, families will picnic under these trees without knowing they were planted in a record-breaking hour. And that might be the best outcome of all.