Homs,(ST) - Al-Arida Forestry Nursery production in TalKalakh area in Homs countryside has nurtured 250 thousand various forest saplings in the current winter season and they are ready for distribution to the fire-affected areas in the governorate.

Engineer Yousef Shaqouf, director of the nursery, said to SANA that the nursery is ready to distribute the plants to the areas that were recently hit by the fires, especially the Nassera Forestry Project in the Wadi Al-Nasarah area in Homs countryside, where the forest wealth was severely damaged because of the fires.

Fires are among the most severe and dangerous environmental disasters that fruit trees meadows and forest areas might be exposed to .Therefore, due to the severity of the fires that attacked Lattakia Governorate last month, large numbers (103 fires) in total, and environmental and substantial losses; the Agricultural Scientific Research Center (ASR) held a field workshop in this regards. The workshop was held  in coordination with the Directorate of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform in Lattakia (Agricultural Extension Dep.), the Union of Agricultural Engineers in Lattakia, and the Union of Agricultural Development Workers under the title:"Technical management of burnt fields of citrus and olive's trees;basics of rehabilitating forest sites".

Dr. Muhammad Salhab, emphasized the significant role of agricultural research to transmit technical and scientific information on how to deal with burnt olive and citrus fields through specialized cadres. In addition, to the importance of studies related to burned forest like: forest area, plant types, percentage of damage, soil type. He also emphasized the importance of joined efforts of the numerous investors to rehabilitate affected properties and lands.

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.

On November 2nd, the Governorate of Damascus organized an environmental march from Khaled Bin Al-Walid Street to the Citadel of Damascus, within the activities of the National Environment Day.

The activities were held under the title “Our Environment is Our Safety .Our Forest is Our Responsibility” and olive and orange trees were planted in the Mawazine Park behind the Damascus Al-Mujitahad Hospital.