Alexander Izmaylovich, Chief Forester of Vitebsk State Production Forestry Association, shared the details:
— Half of the forests established during the campaign will be created using selected planting material. The main species of the forest crops being created will be European spruce, and about 85 percent will be mixed plantings, which are more resistant. In total, throughout the year, we restore about 4.5 thousand hectares of forest. Of these, over 3.5 thousand hectares are planted with seedlings and seeds – with human assistance. The rest is due to natural regeneration.
Following the results of "Forest Week-2022", with the assistance of Vitebsk region forestry workers, enthusiasts planted more than 3.5 million forest plants on a total area of over 600 hectares. They also actively participated in a large-scale "green" clean-up. About 340 cubic meters of rubbish were removed along forest roads, and 30 recreation areas were tidied up. During the campaign, dedicated to the Year of Historical Memory, 20 alleys were planted and the same number of military burial sites were put in order.
This year, the plans for "Forest Week" are also the most ambitious. Encouraging statistics from the State Production Forestry Association show that the ranks of volunteers are growing with new participants. In addition to traditional seedling planting, this year it is planned to remove at least 200 cubic meters of rubbish and debris, improve 20 recreation areas and over 50 military burial sites, and plant 35 memorial alleys. Following a good tradition, there will be competitions among the participants of "Forest Week". For example, for the most active school and the most active class, and various social media contests.