Reforestation of 15 dunums of land affected by terrorism in Jabal Al-Ghan in Homs countryside

Homs, (ST) – The Directorate of Agriculture in Homs, with the participation of civil parties, started on Wednesday implementing a five year plan to reforest 600 hectares of forest land damaged because of terrorism in Al-Rastan countryside.

 The Director of Homs Agriculture Eng. Nazih Al-Rifai pointed out that under the directives of the Ministry of Agriculture to reforest areas affected by terrorism, an area of about 15 dunums in Jabal Al-Ghan site in Asila village of Rastan countryside was planted today with cypress and almond trees. Other species will be planted in the coming days, he said.

 He indicated that the area of the natural forest in Homs is 18 thousand hectares while the artificial forest is 36 thousand hectares, noting that about 3000 hectares of this land was  damaged during the crisis.

Eng. Wissam Mhaideh, head of Rastan Agriculture Department, confirmed that  the Asila forest site, which is part of the forest land in Al-Rastan area, suffered significant damage estimated at 90 percent as a result of terrorism.

Mohamed Khair Hamad, supervisor of the project in Asila, said :”Today is the beginning of the reforestation project in the area that had had a very important vegetation cover before the crisis”.

 Nihad Rashid, one of the locals of Deirfoul village, stressed that the participation of the people of the village in the afforestation process contributes to the revival of life in this area and to the restoration of the green cover.

Amal Farhat- Homs