Iran plants 115m saplings as part of One Billion Trees Program

The head of the Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization of Iran announced that 115 million saplings have been planted so far as part of “The One Billion Trees Program” by the government and private sectors.

"Following negotiations with the Management and Planning Organization of the country, 460 billion rials of credit have been allocated for the One Billion Trees Program, which should be deposited into the account of the Natural Resources Organization,” Abbas-Ali Nobakht said.

He added, “In addition to this amount, it has been agreed that another portion of the approved credits will be allocated before the new year.”

Nobakht said, “So far, some 115 million saplings have been planted across the country.”

The “Plant a Billion Trees” campaign is a major forest restoration program developed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to slow the connected crises of climate change.

Trees are among the most important species on the planet due to offering over 30 useful services to the ecosystem, such as oxygen production, wildlife species protection, soil and groundwater resources preservation, and most importantly reducing air pollution by absorbing the particulate matters.

Each tree produces 2 kilograms of oxygen annually, so one hectare of trees can produce 2,500 to 3,000 oxygen which helps 10 people to breathe oxygen. At the same time, they can reduce the area’s temperature by 11 degrees.

One billion saplings are projected to be planted across Iran by 2026.