TEHRAN - Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei marked the National Tree Planting Day by planting three saplings on Monday.

Referring to this year's slogan "Each Iranian, Three Saplings", the Leader said: “If each Iranian plants three saplings, the government's goal to plant one billion saplings over the next four years will be realized.”

Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to the importance of planting saplings in preserving the environment, emphasizing that with the help of the people, it is possible to plant one billion saplings.

Experts believe that in addition to planting fruit trees, trees that produce wood should be planted because the export of wood has a significant effect on the country's economy, the Leader stressed.

National Tree Planting Day is annually celebrated on the fifteenth day of Esfand, the last month on the Iranian calendar. The day also marks the beginning of the National Week of Natural Resources.

Last year, Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized the need to develop non-fossil sources of energy, including renewables, and expand activities to protect the environment.

The destruction of forests and the environment and vegetation is equivalent to the degradation of national interests, and the depletion of part of the forests for construction, except in emergencies, is definitely to the detriment of the nation, he explained.

The Leader further called on people to plant and protect trees, saying that doing such important work requires national support. Tree planting is among the activities that can prevent the disappearance of forests around and inside cities through expanding vegetation cover.

One of the serious tasks toward protecting the environment is to preserve the two natural assets and vital reserves, namely water and soil, and to avoid taking them for granted. In this line, authorities must pay attention to expert points of view.”

Inattention to "wildlife protection" is another issue that will be detrimental to national interests, the Leader said, noting that in Islam, hunting is allowed only if it (human) needs to be fed, otherwise, it is illegal, and even hunting trips are forbidden, so we must take steps to prevent illegal hunting seriously and pay attention to the issue of wildlife conservation.

The Forests, Rangelands, and Watershed Management Organization plans to produce and plant one billion saplings across the country over the course of four years.

The Organization is determined to produce and plant one billion saplings with the participation of people benefiting from capacities that exist in the country, Abbas-Ali Nobakht, head of the FRWMO, said in January.

“Considering the climatic conditions of the country, low per capita green space, and the fact that Iran is among the countries with low forestation rate, we are obliged to produce and plant one billion saplings in a four-year period.”

The expansion of the country's green space and paying more attention to natural resources and the environment is not a new issue, he said, adding that the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, the President, and the Minister of Agriculture have always emphasized the need to promote the issue of tree planting and sapling planting.

In this line, mining organizations and industrial companies should be committed to participating in the sapling planting programs, he stressed.

Mostafa Jalili, an official with Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization, has said that a budget amounting to 2.27 trillion rials (about $4.5 million) is projected to be spent on forestation plans.

The national budget bill for the next Iranian calendar year 1402, which starts on March 21, has allocated the budget for dealing with wind erosion as well as sand and dust storms, IRNA quoted Jalili as saying.

MG