Afforestation campaign for agricultural lands affected by fires in Al-Fakhoura in Lattakia countryside

With the participation of 42 volunteers from the “Journey and Trail” and “Syria Light” teams, a five-dunum afforestation campaign took place in the village of Al-Fakhoura in the countryside of Lattakia in an attempt to make up for the damage of the recent fires that overwhelmed the governorate’s countryside.

Wissam Ali, leader of the “Journey and Trail” team, stated that this campaign is the first in a series of afforestation campaigns that will take place during the coming period in cooperation with the Lattakia Agriculture Directorate and a number of other volunteer teams, explaining that the campaign includes planting about 70 olive seedlings produced by a private nursery.

Aktham Ismail, the leader of the “Syria Light” team, indicated that tasks were distributed among the participants to complete the work quickly and perfectly despite the lack of equipment. Some of them uprooted the completely burnt trees after making sure that they were no longer suitable for agriculture. The other section dug  holes and prepared them for cultivation according to specific dimensions .

He explained that the forthcoming afforestation campaigns will target the affected agricultural lands in the areas of Jableh and Al-Qardaha.

Ghaith Laila, a participant in the campaign and a student at the Institute of Computer Technology at Tishreen University, indicated that his participation in today’s event comes  as a contribution to the restoration of life to areas affected by fires, as it is the duty of young people to spread the culture of afforestation, preserve the environment and expand green spaces.

Laith Ismail, a student in the English language department, stressed the importance of increasing green spaces because of their aesthetic, environmental and health benefits, in addition to the great role that trees play in absorbing carbon dioxide and increasing the oxygen in the atmosphere.

Reem Issa, one of the participants in the campaign, pointed to the importance of encouraging a culture of volunteering and volunteer campaigns because it is the most effective way to restore greenery to our mountains, forests and agricultural lands that have been completely burned. This requires double the effort and cooperation to reduce the burdens on the owners of the affected lands under the current circumstances.

Amal Farhat