Millions of saplings planted across Türkiye on National Afforestation Day
ANKARA
Millions of saplings were planted across Türkiye on Nov. 11 as part of the National Afforestation Day, an annual campaign that has become a nationwide movement for a greener future.
Under the “Green Homeland Mobilization,” the General Directorate of Forestry aims to have all 15 million saplings available in its system adopted and planted throughout the country's 81 provinces.
Nov. 11 was declared National Afforestation Day by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2019, a day marked by citizen participation and environmental enthusiasm each year.
“This year, we will highlight our love for the green homeland under the theme ‘The soil is our witness, the sapling our signature,’” General Director of Forestry Bekir Karacabey said.
The campaign, he added, focused not only on reforesting areas affected by wildfires but also planting trees in public spaces such as schools, hospitals, military compounds and places of worship.
“We have 136 forest nurseries across Türkiye capable of producing over 600 million saplings of more than 1,000 species,” he noted.
Preparations for the planting ceremonies have already been completed, with trucks dispatching millions of young trees to their new homes.
Citizens are encouraged to adopt saplings free of charge via gelecegenefes.gov.tr. “Sapling adoption has turned into a race of goodwill among provinces,” Karacabey said, naming Çanakkale, Niğde, Erzincan and Iğdır among the leading provinces.
The campaign’s activities will continue for a year, supported by joint efforts with ministries and national institutions. “We have signed a protocol with the Transport and Infrastructure Ministry. Every high-speed train passenger will have a sapling planted on their behalf,” Karacabey explained, adding that similar partnerships are being forged with the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the Turkish Basketball Federation and the Turkish Football Federation.
One sapling for every married couple, newborn
In cooperation with the Family and Social Services Ministry, the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry launched the “Every Family, One Sapling” campaign, under which a sapling is planted for every newly married couple and every newborn baby.
Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş and Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı visited newborns at Ankara Bilkent City Hospital to mark the start of the initiative.
“Each of our babies and newlywed couples will now have their own tree. We will also deliver personalized certificates to families during birth and marriage ceremonies,” Göktaş said, emphasizing that the project supports both environmental and demographic goals during the “Year of the Family.”
The "Year of the Family" is a nationwide initiative declared by the government to strengthen family bonds and support demographic renewal through a series of policies and community projects.
