Hundreds of trees were cut down, the villagers couldn’t bear it, they cried their hearts out for the cut trees.

In the mountain village of Aglasan in Bursa, hundreds of pine trees were cut down for unknown reasons. The villagers, unable to hold back their tears against the cutting of trees, cried inconsolably. President of DOĞADER, Murat Demir, stated that cutting down trees cannot be considered as rejuvenation efforts, saying, ‘Incorrect practices are being carried out here. Our forests have been devastated as if harvesting a field.’
In Aglasan Village, affiliated with Kestel district in Bursa, hundreds of pine trees were cut down for unknown reasons. The residents of the village, who mentioned that tree cutting has been ongoing for years, expressed that forests have been plundered in recent years. The villagers, along with the Nature and Environment Protection Association (DOĞADER), protested against tree felling, stating that they do not agree with it. The villagers, unable to control their emotions against tree cutting, cried inconsolably.
“Except for cemeteries, there is no green area left”
Murat Demir, President of DOĞADER, emphasized that there are no green areas left in city centers, saying, ‘Today, upon a report received by our association DOĞADER, we came to Aglasan village. As you can see behind us, the pine forests have been devastated as if harvesting a field. Forests are not fields. Forests are not just about trees. Forests take centuries to form. Our Forest Directorate is making a mistake. We, as environmentalists and the people living in this village, are against this practice. That’s why we are here today. A village, a mountain area should be forested. They have cut down hectares of trees around the village. If no intervention is made, they will cut down hundreds of acres of trees. Without forests, there will be no rain, no snow, no oxygen. We must protect our forests. Forests are vital against drought. We have depleted the greenery in Bursa’s city center. Except for cemeteries, there is no green area left. We are mowing down Bursa’s greenery like fields. Forests are not fields. Trees of all ages have been cut down.’
“Forests are our greatest measure against natural disasters”
Demir, emphasizing the significant role of forests in preventing natural disasters, said, ‘We receive news of dozens of fires all across our country. Last week, forests in 7-8 regions in Bursa burned down. A fire even broke out within Uludağ University. Dormitories were evacuated as a precaution. While we mourn the burning forests, on the other hand, our Ministry, Governorship, Metropolitan Municipality, district municipalities organize campaigns to reforest the forests, we do not want them to cut down and plunder our centuries-old forests. Our aim in coming together with the valuable people of Aglasan village here is to oppose those who made this decision. We want them to retract this wrong decision. If they do not reconsider their decision, each of our children will tie themselves to a tree and prevent the cutting down of forests. Forests are our future. It is everyone’s duty to protect our future. If they do not take action, we will initiate all legal proceedings. Floods, droughts, climate incidents have occurred in Bursa and in many parts of our country. Against these natural disasters, our greatest precaution is our forests. If we think about what we can do to protect our forests, we protect our forests just like we did with the people of Aglasan village. There are approximately 23 million forests in Turkey. It covers about 30% of the country’s total area. 46% of Bursa is forested. We must protect our forests in the fight against floods and natural disasters in order to take precautions against disasters.’
Village residents shed tears for the felled trees
Sabriye Çavuş, a 65-year-old resident who expressed her heartache at the felling of trees, said, ‘I am originally from Bursa, Sinandede. I have asthma. I retired and bought a house here. My father was a native of this place. I bought a house here because I have asthma. I don’t understand why they are cutting down these trees. We, as the villagers, are against the cutting of trees.’
While the village residents noted that forest officials did not provide any explanation to them, it was stated that the cutting process is different from rejuvenation efforts.