Volunteers plant 4,000 saplings on Mount Maqloub in reforestation effort

DUHOK — A reforestation campaign has planted 4,000 tree saplings across Mount Maqloub in Duhok governorate’s Zilkan subdistrict, local officials said this week.

Ahmad Anwar Mohammed Ali, who supervised the initiative, told 964media the mountain was chosen due to its extreme lack of vegetation.

“Mount Maqloub has the lowest ratio of trees and greenery in the region, so we felt it was necessary to carry out this campaign,” he said.

Two types of saplings were planted: one long and slender, serving as food for animals; the other dense and bushy, offering a food source for humans.

“One type is long and slender, providing food for animals, and the second is dense and bushy, which can also be used by people as a food source,” Ahmad explained.

The saplings were grown in specialized nurseries from seeds collected in Akre, Amedi, Barzan, Sheladze, and Darkar.

Ahmad said the mountain has suffered from deforestation for decades.

“Since before 2003, many of the trees on this mountain were cut down by local residents,” he said. “A large portion was also destroyed by wildfires, leaving the area nearly barren.”

Despite continued foot traffic from visitors, he noted, “there are hardly any fruit-bearing trees left.”

Ahmad said the campaign was carried out independently, without direct material support from authorities.

“The relevant authorities only cooperated in name. All the planting and care for the saplings was done by us,” he said.

He added that the region has not seen a reforestation project of this scale in more than a century. The team now plans to expand the effort and aims to plant an additional 400,000 saplings across Mount Maqloub.