Approximately 25.7 million trees were planted in Belarus during the "Forest Week" campaign, which took place from April 14 to 21, BELTA was informed by the press service of the Ministry of Forestry.
Approximately 25.7 million trees were planted in Belarus during the "Forest Week" campaign, which took place from April 14 to 21, BELTA was informed by the press service of the Ministry of Forestry.
The total area of forest culture creation exceeded 6.7 thousand hectares. Pine and birch were the main tree species.
This year, the "Forest Week" campaign was held for the 11th time. Representatives of businesses, public organisations, sports associations, and schools traditionally take an active part in the event. The campaign is widely supported by heads of various ministries and departments, regulatory bodies, and the parliamentary corps. Anyone could participate in the campaign. To do this, it was enough to contact the nearest forest management or forestry, where volunteers were provided with the necessary tools and planting material. This year, forestry institutions organised work at 2.8 thousand sites. In addition to planting forests, citizens could participate in cleaning up waste and improving recreational areas. During the campaign, 221 sites were prepared for the spring-summer season.
The last day of the campaign this year coincided with the republican voluntary work day. While 52,000 Belarusians joined the campaign during the working week, on its final day, another 31.2 thousand forestry specialists were involved in planting forests and cleaning up waste in the forest fund. Thus, over 83,000 people took part in reforestation and tidying up. The final day of the campaign was also supported by the participation of the leadership of the Council of Ministers, the Committee of State Control, the State Secretariat of the Security Council, the Ministry of Information, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other departments.
"The Ministry of Forestry expresses its gratitude to all concerned Belarusians who took part in the campaign," the press service noted.
As reported, Forest Week-2018 was timed to coincide with the Year of Small Motherland and was dedicated to restoring forests damaged by the widespread outbreak of pest insects in 2017. The main goal of the event was to attract broad public attention to the problems of the forest fund, promote a careful attitude towards one of the country's main natural resources, and enhance the ecological, economic, and social role of forests.