Center ramps up sapling production to reforest fire-hit regions
ESKİŞEHİR
In response to the surge in forest fires across Türkiye last summer, the country’s largest seedling production facility in the central city of Eskişehir has significantly increased its sapling production to help restore burned areas.
Established in 1937 and spanning 1,695 decares, Eskişehir Forest Nursery produced 3 million saplings last year.
For the upcoming year, its production target has been tripled to approximately 9 million saplings due to a vast number of wildfires during the summer season, according to Ender Tuncer, the nursery's director.
“Our main purpose is to supply saplings for reforestation and soil conservation projects. With the unprecedented scale of this year’s fires, our production programs have been adapted to meet extreme demand,” Tuncer said. “Next year, we expect to produce 8 to 9 million saplings to help forests recover and provide a breath of life for the future.”
Türkiye has endured one of its toughest fire seasons this year, with 1,351 forest fires recorded, fueled by a prolonged drought that has left more than 60 percent of the country’s soil arid. Hundreds of fires scorched vast forested areas, destroying ecosystems and displacing wildlife.
The saplings produced in Eskişehir are primarily sent to provinces affected by these recent fires, including the northwestern provinces of Bursa and Bolu, the western city of Bilecik and the southwestern province of Muğla, according to Tuncer.
The nursery cultivates around 200 different tree species, including both conifers such as black pine, Scots pine, cedar and juniper and broadleaf species such as maple, oak and ash. Seeds are collected from regional seed orchards, stored in cold storage and sown in specialized Finnish-style greenhouses.
