Reforestation effort takes place in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

The Istanbul Governor’s Office has initiated a reforestation campaign with the aim of restoring forested areas damaged by wildfires in the city this year.

Governor Davut Gül participated in the event during which 34,500 pine saplings were planted in the 21-hectare shrub and forest area scorched and harmed by the fire that broke out in the city’s northern district of Beykoz on July 26.

Pointing out that reforestation efforts will be carried out for other forested areas in Istanbul affected by wildfires, Gül said tree planting in the fire-ravaged zones would be completed by the end of this year.

"Today, with the help of our students, we are planting the first forest of the ‘Century Türkiye’ right here in Istanbul. This area [Beykoz] is one of our regions that suffered a fire incident this year," Gül told reporters on Nov. 8 during the event.

Highlighting that forest organizations complete reforestation work for the forests affected by summer wildfires every year by the end of that same year, the governor pointed out that the area where the greening event took place on Nov. 8 accounts for approximately 45 percent of the forests burned in Istanbul.

"We will also reforest the remaining portion within the year. By the end of 2023, all of the forests in Istanbul that were burned this year will have been replanted," Gül stated.

Recently, Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı announced that new forests will be established in all 81 provinces in the country as part of a nationwide large-scale afforestation effort on the occasion of National Afforestation Day on Nov. 11.

Within the scope of the "Breath to the Future, Breath to the Republic" campaign, which consists of three stages, the "Republic Forests" to be established in all the provinces are dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the country's foundation, Yumaklı said during his speech at a meeting on the campaign in the capital Ankara on Oct. 31.

"Each tree we plant this year will be a testament to our commitment to the republic and its values. In this context, we will celebrate National Afforestation Day, which was declared in 2019, with a total of three activities," Yumaklı said.