15,000 trees affected by the fires will be treated to keep them alive.

Izmir Metropolitan Municipality has begun efforts to ensure the survival of trees damaged by the fire on Yamanlar Mountain. In three afforestation areas allocated to the Metropolitan Municipality, the Directorate of Parks and Gardens and IZIPA have started treatment work on 15 thousand trees. Additionally, the Metropolitan Municipality has initiated a search for new afforestation areas and allocation processes in the region.

The İzmir Metropolitan Municipality has started work to revive the trees affected by the forest fire that impacted Bayraklı and Karşıyaka on Yamanlar Mountain. Following the on-site inspection by İzmir Metropolitan Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay, the Directorate of Parks and Gardens, in collaboration with the İzmir Planning Agency (IZPA), will revitalize 15 thousand trees in the 200-hectare afforestation areas of Örnekköy, Sancaklı, and Bayraklı Allurca. Based on the needs of the trees, watering, strengthening, and pruning will be carried out. The İzmir Metropolitan Municipality has also begun efforts to help the trees affected by the fire in the Happiness Forests allocated to the Karşıyaka Municipality.

Proper planning saved the forests

After the fire, rapid field studies were conducted to examine signs of life in the trees. It was determined that due to the timely cleaning of weeds by the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality teams and the completion of road maintenance in existing afforestation areas, the fire remained a surface fire rather than turning into a crown fire. Additionally, it was found that the cambium tissue of trees such as the Aleppo pine, which were exposed to the fire, remained green, and there was no color change in the vascular bundles. Under the studies conducted by the Directorate of Parks and Gardens and IZIPA, watering, strengthening, and pruning operations have been initiated for approximately 15 thousand trees based on their needs.

Work has begun

Providing information about the work, Müge Deniz Bal, the head of the Directorate of Parks and Gardens of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, said, “We have three afforestation areas in the fire zones. We have about 200 thousand square meters and nearly 15 thousand trees. Following discussions with our Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay regarding this, we have urgently started work related to these areas. Thanks to the maintenance roads opened in our area, our damages are at the lowest level according to the region. Therefore, we have initiated a watering process for the formation and strengthening of tree basins. We have also planned our works to improve our trees by providing root strengthening substances during the vegetation periods.”

Workshops for maintenance and damage assessment will be established under IZIPA guidance

Müge Deniz Bal stated, “In this area, there are forests allocated to both our Forest Regional Directorate and the boundaries allocated to İzmir Metropolitan Municipality. Additionally, there are also burned forests belonging to our district municipalities. We have visited these with our mayor. We have made a plan in the Happiness Forest of our Karşıyaka Municipality. We will establish maintenance and damage assessment workshops, and there will also be a volunteer basis in these studies. We have urgently started improvement work in the afforestation areas allocated to İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and district municipalities affected by the fire.”

“We are striving to revive the region together”

Bal emphasized, “In addition to improving the forests, we continue to support villages, homes, and producers through all departments of our municipality. Under the leadership of Mayor Cemil, we are working together to ensure that İzmir Metropolitan Municipality can hopefully revive this area in a short time.”

With the right intervention, forests will rise from their ashes

As part of the rescue efforts, the burned parts of the Aleppo pines in Örnekköy will be removed from the seedlings. The cut areas will be treated with paste to prevent pathological reactions caused by fungi and insects. Additionally, towards the end of the vegetation season, root strengthening substances will be provided to ensure that the seedlings can endure the winter comfortably and develop strong needles in spring. For shrub group plants, since they generally reproduce vegetatively, they will be cut from the base to ensure that they resprout in spring. Rapid watering has begun for the mulberry and acacia trees and shrubs in the Sancaklı area. Work will also be initiated for the afforestation of the Bayraklı Allurca area in line with the planning.

Search for new afforestation areas has begun

In addition to efforts to sustain the existing areas, the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality has initiated searches for new afforestation areas and allocation processes in line with the instructions of Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay to create new afforestation areas in the region. In the allocated afforestation areas, suitable trees for the region’s geography will be planted and protected to quickly restore the fire-affected areas to their former state.