Over 2,000 volunteers afforested 30 hectares in Geamăna, Anenii Noi
Over 130 thousand saplings were planted today in the village of Geamăna, on the largest afforestation sector in the country. Over two thousand volunteers contributed to the expansion of the forested area. The action is part of the "Forest Generation" campaign, which aims to rehabilitate 3,500 hectares of land by planting seven million saplings.
The participants planted species such as acacia, sycamore, willow and maple.
*"There will be acacia mixed with sycamore and willow. A successful composition because the soil allows it. It was also a request of the mayor of the locality; this sector will be afforested and after 3-4 years, it will be managed by the city hall," said Victor Durbală.
According to the organizers, the event was attended by over two thousand people, including representatives of central and local public authorities, members of the private sector and civil society. A high number of young people participated in, and most of them planted trees for the first time.
"I have colleagues from the cybersecurity agency. We have all come together today to plant the seeds for the future of the Republic of Moldova, to ensure that our descendants, grandchildren, and children will have a place to sit in the shade on a dry summer day,” said Cătălina Plinschi, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization.
“I have never planted trees and now I know how to plant trees”;
“It is a new experience for us, we have never tried something like this and we like it”;
Currently, the afforestation rate of the Republic of Moldova is only 11%, one of the lowest in Europe, says the Minister of Environment, Sergiu Lazarencu.
“I am glad that for the first time there is increased interest from the private sector and ordinary citizens. Step by step, the national program for forests' expansion and rehabilitation initiated by the President becomes a national idea, an idea that unites people, regardless of occupation, because we need more forests. We are at the bottom of the ranking in Europe and we need to leave more forest behind us,” said Sergiu Lazarencu, Minister of the Environment.
This spring's afforestation campaign is part of the National Program for Forest Expansion and Rehabilitation - "Forest Generation". We would like to point out that, by 2032, the authorities' objective is to expand and rehabilitate 145 thousand hectares of forest. In the first two years of the program launch, over 300 million lei were invested in afforestation activities, including the acquisition of modern equipment and machinery, actions that contributed to the planting of 65 million saplings on 15 thousand hectares of forest. Currently, the afforestation rate in the Republic of Moldova is 11%, while the European Union average exceeds 35 percent.
