740m saplings produced to plant 1b trees
Iran has produced about 740 million saplings under a four-year campaign to plant one billion trees, the head of Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization said.
Reza Aflatouni said the saplings were produced over the campaign’s first three years at state-run natural resources and watershed management nurseries and by private-sector producers.
The actual number of saplings planted is estimated to be at least twice the registered figure, Aflatouni said.
“However, only plantings recorded in the organization’s tree production and planting registration system, with their locations and implementing authorities identified, count as official results,” he said.
Iran must produce another 250 million to 260 million saplings this year to meet its one-billion target by the end of the campaign, he said.
Aflatouni acknowledged that the planting target might not be met. Still, he said planting 500 million saplings, or half the planned total, would be a significant achievement.
He also said about 1.4 million hectares had been afforested across Iran over recent decades, a figure covering national efforts beyond the current campaign.
Aflatouni said protecting water, soil and the country’s ecosystems was a responsibility shared across generations. Tree planting, he added, should remain part of efforts to safeguard natural resources beyond the campaign’s four-year term.