OREANDA-NEWS. March 13, 2012. This morning, numerous participants of the nation-wide Planting campaign gathered in the southern part of Ashgabat - Chandybil Avenue. This ultra-modern avenue stretches to a new, rapidly emerging business center of the Turkmen capital, along the picturesque foothills of the Kopet Dagh.

On these days of spring the side-hills of the Turkmen mountains, neighboring to the white marble city, get covered with green grass that soon will decorate them into scattering of wildflowers. And the foot of the majestic mountain range, on which large-scale man-made forests are already emerging, will resemble a fragrant garden even more than before. After all, today it is the place where a large-scale tree planting campaign that will unfold across the country has been launched.

As the President's car approaches the place, where the a nationwide Planting campaign is about to start, the Vice-Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, chairman of the Mejlis, heads of military and law enforcement agencies, ministries and departments, members of the national parliament, representatives of the accredited diplomatic corps, universities and media warmly greet the Leader of the nation.

President of Turkmenistan warmly greets those who gathered. In accordance with the established good practice, the Head of state personally launched the tree planting campaign by planting the first tree. His example was followed by all the participants -old and young.

On the day of the nationwide Planting campaign, which was attended by more than 467,000 citizens of Turkmenistan, have planted about 715,000 seedlings of broadleaved, pine and fruit trees on vast lands of the country. The campaign also included care of existing man-made green areas, this work covered about 2 million trees.

Today Turkmenistan is reaping the benefits of years of work - man-made forests have already stretched into large areas in different parts of the country, estimates of trees in them being in tens of millions. Vast territories of forest-park are emerging around every city and inhabited locality; foothills of Kopetdag, banks of canals and rivers, and the sea coast in the districts of the national tourist zone “Avaza” are being carpeted into complete green.

The scope of this work strikes the imagination because man-made forests of the country, numbering in many millions now, have rose on spaces, where not long ago there were bare mountain slopes, and loose sand dunes. Implementation of a grand scale tree planting program is also a significant contribution to the worldwide attempt to combat the negative effects of climate change, since plants actively absorb carbon dioxide. They also create a comfortable environment; protect cities and country’s oasis from the hot breath of the Karakum desert and from the icy winds of winter.

In 2012, in the outskirts of Ashgabat between the towns of Anau and Baharly it is planned to plant 1.5 million seedlings of broadleaved, pine and fruit trees and grape. 1.5 million more plants will add to existing man-made forest areas within the velayats. The event held today launched this large-scale tree planting campaign. And, not only decorative – pine and leaved trees will be planted; fruit crops will also be planted so that the Turkmen land can rightly be called a "blooming garden".

Today, thousands of new seedlings decorate the districts of Chandybil Avenue in the picturesque foothills of the Kopetdag. Benefits of years of work are already being reaped in a country of deserts and hot sun is; the most advanced methods of forming of a forest sector have proven to be effective.