National Forest Program: make the country of the Karakums an oasis
March 22, 2018 | 10:59 |1764
A major ecological action for tree planting was held throughout Turkmenistan on the first day of the Novruz celebration - more than 445.1 thousand new seedlings settled in green areas, including about 200,000 in Ashgabat and its suburbs. Since ancient times, residents of local communities have come together to do such socially significant work necessary for all. This tradition has now acquired a new life in the tree planting campaigns, where children and old people, villagers and townspeople, and the country's top officials take part. Turkmenistan is famous for oasis cities, and in recent years these oases have moved beyond the settlements, turning their neighborhood into picturesque forest parks. These man-made forests are annually replenished with 3 million trees that are planted in the foothills of the Kopetdag in the vicinity of Ashgabat from Geoktepe to Anau, as well as throughout the country near settlements. A large green zone is also created on the coast of the Caspian Sea, in the resort of Avaza. These forest parks play a big role. The roots of trees protect the soil from erosion and desertification. They retain the moisture from precipitation, accumulating it in subterranean strata and contributing to the preservation of springs and water sources. Together with reservoirs erected along mountain streams, forest parks in the foothills protect the plains from mudflows.Oleg Vinokurov
Forest tracts became the green lungs of the capital and the entire foothill valley of Kopetdag. Crones of trees seem to filter the air, catching dust, contributing to the oxidation and decontamination from pollutants. They also enrich the atmosphere with phytocides, killing microbes. This is especially true of coniferous species, such as the Eldar’s pine.
Fruit crops, including mulberry, take an increasing share in planting. Man-made forests in the foothills eventually become home to birds and animals, including rare ones.
The ability to purify air flows was in demand in the framework of work to prevent the winds from transferring salts from the bottom of the Aral Sea to the territory of the country. The trees and bushes most adapted to the local climate - saxaul, cherkez, kandym, tamarisk - are planted since 2013, at the elevation of Botendag in the north of Turkmenistan.
It creates a buffer forest area of 20 thousand hectares. Its creation was the first step in the implementation of the National Forest Program of Turkmenistan, designed for the period until 2020, and gave a reforestation complex character. Within the framework of the program, which focuses on the restoration of natural saxaul, pistachio and juniper forests, an inventory of the country's forests has been carried out, the State Forest Cadaster will be created.
Forest zones, created in the vicinity of cities and villages, are able to mitigate the hot breath of summer dry winds, to preserve the harvest and health of people. Forestry is also an effective response to the negative processes of climate change. The trees recycle carbon dioxide, which is the main reason of greenhouse effect, from the atmosphere.
The increase in the concentration of such gas in the atmosphere, according to scientists, is responsible of climate change. As of today, the humanity has two effective means to combat this effect - reducing CO2 emissions and reforestation. Along with the modernization of industry, the contribution to the development of the "green" economy is also reached by the creation of large tracts of coniferous, deciduous and fruit trees.
