Forests devastated by Türkiye's worst wildfire disaster in 2021 have largely recovered in the southwestern province of Muğla, where extensive reforestation efforts have transformed once-charred hillsides into growing woodlands, officials said.
The recovery follows a years-long restoration campaign involving natural and artificial regeneration, direct seeding and the planting of millions of saplings after wildfires scorched nearly 60,000 hectares (148,000 acres) across the province.
Between July 29 and Aug. 12, 2021, Muğla recorded 75 forest fires. The fires caused significant environmental damage as well as loss of life and property, prompting one of the country's largest reforestation campaigns.
Teams from the Muğla Regional Directorate of Forestry first cleared burned trees from the affected areas before beginning restoration work. Despite the vast scale of the destruction and harsh winter conditions, around 90% of site clearance and reforestation activities were completed within the first year.
Five years later, ongoing maintenance and rehabilitation have helped restore the burned landscapes. Millions of saplings planted after the fires have continued to grow, with many now reaching human height, while hillsides once reduced to ash have regained the appearance of healthy forests.
As part of the reforestation effort, forestry teams spread 220,000 kilograms (over 485,000 pounds) of pine seeds, including 205,000 kilograms of Turkish red pine and 15,000 kilograms of black pine, across the burned areas.
The campaign resulted in the distribution of approximately 3.9 billion pine seeds, taking into account that one kilogram of Turkish red pine contains around 16,000 seeds and one kilogram of black pine contains roughly 45,000 seeds.
