Preparations for planting 250 million saplings underway,
official says 

The deputy head of the Natural Resources and Watershed
Management Organization said preparations have been made all across the country
to plant 250 million saplings.  

The government has embarked on a ten-year project to plant
250 million trees on non-forested lands countrywide, Naghi Shabanian said last
week. 

“The digging operation has been
carried out as the first phase of the project,” he added. 

Shabanian said in the second phase, the new sites targeted
for afforestation will be selected and several environmental factors must be
analyzed, including climate, soil, vegetation, and human activity.

“These factors will determine the
quality of the site, what species of trees should be planted, and what planting
method should be used”. 

The project can help increase carbon sequestration and
mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while also considering the economic and
investment attractiveness of afforestation.

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