General Director of Forestry Karacabey: We are afforestation of burned areas by imitating nature.

Bekir Karacabey, General Director of Forestry, stated that approximately 24,000 hectares of forest have been damaged by fires across the country as of today, 2025. Karacabey explained that there are three stages to combating forest fires: pre-fire efforts, firefighting efforts, extinguishing the fire, and rehabilitating and reforestation of burned areas. Karacabey said, "Fires are undesirable; however, reforestation of these areas is at least as important as firefighting. In this sense, as soon as the fire is extinguished, we begin reforestation efforts on the site the very next day. We immediately conduct assessments, remove any damaged trees, and then, if necessary, cultivate the soil to create a suitable environment for seedlings to germinate. We prepare the area or area for planting seeds. We then reforestation and reforestation efforts are carried out as soon as possible."

'SEEDS AND SEEDLINGS SUITABLE FOR THE REGION'

Karacabey stated that they have begun reforestation efforts with species compatible with the land structure, climate, and soil structure of the burned areas, saying, "One of the fundamental elements in forestry is actually imitating nature. In other words, reforestation efforts with the tree or plant species that were naturally present in that environment, in that forest, before the fire is one of the fundamental principles of forestry science. In other words, you can't fight nature. You can't fight nature. You need to take what nature has given you and imitate nature. We work on rebuilding the forest with whatever species are in nature before the fire. When doing this, if the trees in the area before the fire are older than the seed-bearing age, this is a feature especially for Turkish red pine trees. When the seeds of Turkish red pine fall to the ground, the seeds that fell one or two years ago are not easily affected by the fire. When you remove the burned trees from the field, the seeds that fell in previous years will germinate after a year, and they will grow back into a forest with it. This is only valid for Turkish red pine trees. This actually shows us how nature has established a balance within itself. "Then we plant seeds there instead of burning trees. We plant those seeds from the seeds we collect from the surrounding forests so that they are resistant to the climate and terrain conditions, altitude, and soil structure of that region," he said.

'IT TAKES BETWEEN 30-80 YEARS FOR THE ECOSYSTEM'

Karacabey stated that it's possible to see small saplings a year after removing burned trees and cultivating the soil. He said, "After 3-5 years, we can see that the field has greened up, and a green layer has generally formed. After 10 years, we see that the saplings have fully grown, grown tall, and flourished. It's not just trees in the forest. Therefore, it's not just the trees that burn in a forest fire. Unfortunately, the forest ecosystem is completely destroyed. Therefore, for the ecosystem below the ground to form, for biological activity to occur, and for it to recover, in addition to the flora and fauna above the ground, conditions in our country vary between regions. Unfortunately, it takes between 30 and 80 years for the area to once again be able to perform all the functions of the forest ecosystem."

'A SPARK CAN CAUSE MAJOR DISASTERS'

Karacabey, noting that experts say humidity is much lower and temperatures much higher than in the past, said, "2024 has gone down in history as the hottest year in the last 140 years. And the period ahead doesn't look to be any better. Winds are much stronger than before. All of these factors can cause even the slightest spark to instantly turn into a major fire. Yes, these factors don't start a fire on their own. But they cause even the slightest spark to grow rapidly. Since we can't change these meteorological conditions, we have a responsibility. As humanity, as a society, we all have very important responsibilities. We mustn't ignite that spark. Sometimes it could be a cigarette butt. Sometimes it could be a picnic fire, a stubble fire, or burning garden debris. Regardless, a spark started by human hands can cause major disasters."

DHA

Reporter: News Center