Macedonians plant six million trees—in one day
Jeremy Hance, mongaby.com
December 10, 2008
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While the world meets in Poznan, Poland to discuss actions related to global warming, the small Republic of Macedonia has already achieved an impressive goal. On November 19th, thousands of Macedonians took part in planting trees in a massive reforestation effort. Altogether they planted six million trees: three trees for every citizen of the country.
The Macedonians had already succeeded in a smaller effort prior to November 19th. In March of this year, two million tree seedlings were planted in various places around Macedonia by over ten thousand citizens.
In the past two summers the Republic of Macedonia has experienced sweeping wildfires. The reforestation effort was partly to replant trees in these forests and partly a response to global warming and increasing environmental degradation worldwide.
The project was begun by Macedonian opera singer, Boris Trajanov. “If Macedonia, a country of two million people, can plant six million trees, we can only imagine how many trees can be planted in other, bigger countries,” he told Reuters.
Trajanov hopes to spread the idea to other nations.