Ahal environmentalists conduct comprehensive work to protect manmade forest areas

The mountain range of Kopetdag, over the landscapes of which nature worked for millions of years is undoubtedly one of the main attractions of the Turkmen nature. As a result, there are amazingly neighboring species of plants quite remote in their geographical origin of the climatic zones, some species of flora - endemic, rare and medicinal species, listed not only in the Red Book of Turkmenistan, but also in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The activities of regional conservation specialists on these hot days are conducted under the sign of carrying out fire-fighting measures and preserving natural and artificially created forest areas. The large areas of forest plantations are concentrated in the Ahal region, therefore a large volume of fire prevention measures is carried out. The employees of the regional environmental protection department are connected to this work, as well as staff employed for work in the fire hazardous period.

To prevent the consequences of the fire, as the hot sun and low humidity of the air dried the grass and came out areas covered with dead wood, mini-tractors of fields, orchards, vineyards were carried out, protective barriers between the foothills and roads were created. The length of such a row of patches within Ahal this year was more than four and a half thousand kilometers. The cleaning deadwood is completed, including manual in places where it is impossible to use machinery, irrigated work, and other preventive measures. The mobile groups of environmental inspectors and MIA staff are on duty in the foothills of the Kopetdag. The employees of the Ministry of Public Utilities are connected to these measures. The observers exercise visual control over possible smoke or open fire from the hills. They are equipped with loudspeakers, walkie-talkies and fast communication systems, binoculars, special firecrackers, means to extinguish the fires of the flame, and they are provided with high-road vehicles. The special detours are practiced in the protected zone of the reserve. Active explanatory work is being carried out: holidaymakers are warned about the banning of fires and the need to clean up garbage.

Despite extremely hot days, by the present moment, there is not a single incident of fire, potentially dangerous for the nature of the foothills, forest plantations, orchards, vineyards and fields. Merit of tireless labor of firefighters, ecologists and volunteers is in this.

The main task now is to save plantations, not to let young trees die. In the autumn, ecologists will take care of the new plantings, the materials for which are prepared by nurseries of etraps and regional forestry administration. Nurseries are located in the territories of the state nature reserves - Kopetdag and Bereketli Karakum, located in the Ahal province. In recent years, the reserves have expanded the cultivation of local species of mountain and xerophytic desert flora, primarily the "Red Book", with their subsequent planting in natural habitats - buffers of the protected zone. The scientific and practical research is also conducted here, instructions on seed production and afforestation are compiled. Greening activities in the region are provided by five forest growing farms located in the etraps: Geoktepe, Serakhs, Tejensky, Baherden and Ak Bugday.