Citizens and organizations of Mongolia planted trees including shrubs and bushes on the national day of tree planting celebrated nationwide on Saturday.
The President of Mongolia issued a decree in 2010, to celebrate a National Tree Planting Day in Mongolia every second Saturday of May and October. On this day, the President Ts.Elbegdorj planted trees on grounds near the Mongolia-Germany joint institute of minerals and technology in Nalaikh district.
The Mongolia-Germany joint institute was founded in 2011 in accordance with an agreement made between Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Ms Angela Merkel and the Mongolia’s President Elbegdorj. The President planted the first tree on the institute’s soil under a goal of making the ground a forest.
According to a report from the Ministry of Environment and Green Development, six million trees have been planted around the country since issuing of the President’s decree for celebrating the Tree Planting Day in 2010. At least 65% of these trees have grown, the Ministry said.
Thanks to the initiative, centers of every aimag and settlements have created their green parks, and the capital city has opened the national green park. Moreover, trees have been planted along 40 km paved-road from Ulaanbaatar city in frames of the “Four directions and eight azimuth” initiative.
The President Elbegdorj put forward his proposal, saying that Mongolia should increase the tax on imported tree saplings in order to promote tree planting business within the country. “We used to import tree saplings costing over 20 million US dollars every year. Now we should prepare saplings in our territory. People are selling their trees to the state” he said.
During the event, the President announced that he has set himself the goal to plant 3 million trees which is an equivalent to the population of Mongolia. For the time being, he has planted some 20 thousand trees and prepared over 500 thousand saplings.