One Sapling One World Campaign is Growing

The solidarity campaign "One Sapling, One World", initiated by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality to ensure that the green cover of the city can renew itself after the fire, is growing. Minister Tunç Soyer“Burning areas have the power to renew themselves. After the Foça fire a month ago, the pine trees that were adapted to the fire have already started to green. We think that the burned areas should be left alone and new afforestation works should be done with saplings that can regenerate themselves after the fire. With the 'One Sapling One World' campaign, we want to ensure the reproduction of such saplings.”

The “One Sapling, One World” campaign, initiated by the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality to make the green cover of the city regenerate after the fire, is growing. Minister Tunç Soyer“While our nature is trying to renew itself, we should also listen to it. Let's equip İzmir's surroundings with the saplings of our trees that can grow back after the fire. Burning forests have the power to regenerate themselves. After the Foça fire a month ago, the pine trees that were adapted to the fire have already started to green. With the One Sapling, One World campaign, we will equip the afforestation areas around İzmir with tree species that have adapted to fire, such as menengiç.”

“Burning forests can regenerate themselves”

Izmir Metropolitan Municipality carries out its forestation works in Izmir with the principle of forest restoration by planting the right species in the right place, at the right time, based on the science of ecology. Professor, who works in the field of fire ecology at Hacettepe University. Dr. The field studies carried out by Çağatay Tavşanoğlu and Metropolitan Municipality experts after the great forest fire that started on August 18, 2019 and burned more than 6 thousand hectares in Karabağlar, Menderes and Seferihisar districts and after the fire in Foça on July 8, 2021, once again revealed this fact. . During the field studies conducted over two days, the difference between the two fire areas became evident. Although only 1 month and 10 days have passed since its burning, it was observed that maquis elements such as kermes oak and pine tree gave shoots and serotine cones of red pines were opened in the fire area in Foça. In the area in Menderes, the area that burned down two years ago was largely subjected to machine tillage and red pine saplings were planted. In the unprocessed areas and between the planting areas, it was observed that many shrubs and tree species such as arbutus, delice, menengiç, maple, hairy oak gave shoots and grew a few meters tall, and red pine seedlings that shed their seeds after the fire germinated. As a result of the studies carried out in the field, it was revealed that the post-fire restoration works to be carried out in the fire ecosystems in the Mediterranean and Aegean should be avoided as much as possible and the area should be left to its own devices.

Eight species of trees have saplings and a sapling lap

In İzmir's forest restoration program, instead of a single type of pine afforestation, a wide variety of planting policies are implemented, including trees that are more resistant to fire, such as oak, menengiç and delice. With the "Forest İzmir" program, the foundation of which was laid in 2019, the green areas in the city are enlarged, while the forest ecosystems of İzmir are protected.

Those who want to participate in the campaign can see the saplings that can regenerate themselves after a fire on the "birfidanbirdunya.org" website. From the species whose number will be increased in the future, Anatolian acorn oak, laurel, menengiç, wild strawberry-arugula berry, wild pear, oleander, insane olive, hairy oak saplings and saplings can buy as many as they want from the lap of protective saplings.

As of autumn, it is aimed to bring the first saplings to the soil in the afforestation areas of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality and to carry out forest restoration. The medium-term goal of the Metropolitan is to create resilient forest areas in the city periphery that can regenerate after a fire, to make these areas as "living parks" as nature discovery areas for the people of Izmir, and to connect the parks and forests by creating "green corridors". Within the scope of the “Welcome Baby” campaign launched in January 2020, a sapling is planted in these areas for each newborn baby.