The foresters should be praised for their work not only in the last seven years, but in the last 100 years, said President János Áder during his visit to Kakashegy above the Pilisszent Cross on Monday, the International Day of Forests.
János Áder recalled: in December 2014, due to persistent sleet, this part of the Pilis forests also suffered severe ice damage, and during his visit at that time, he was greeted by the sight of enormous destruction. Eliminating this damage required a lot of effort from the foresters, he said.
He added that the work of the foresters deserves praise not only for the past seven years, but also for the past 100 years, since Hungary lost about 90 percent of its forest areas after the First World War. However, thanks to the afforestation program that was started, the size of forest areas has doubled in a hundred years - to 21 percent.
The head of state explained: the foresters did their job continuously, repaired the damage, renewed the forests, but also planted new ones. He also emphasized that afforestation will continue, but at the same time, significant challenges must be faced, as it is necessary to adapt to the changed climate, such as the fact that there is not enough precipitation in winter for the third year now. This also makes forest plantings significantly more difficult, as it can even destroy autumn plantings.
The President of the Republic once again expressed his gratitude to all those who participated in the 2015 cooperation and who helped to eliminate ice damage as soon as possible with their support. During his visit in the company of Péter Zambó, the State Secretary responsible for forests at the Ministry of Agriculture, and Gábor Reinitz, the CEO of Pilis Parkerdő Zrt., the head of state also highlighted that the planted trees have now become stronger and are able to withstand the new challenges of the weather.
During the tour, Gábor Reinitz said that the park forest manages 65,000 hectares in the area of the capital, where about 3 million people live. The December 2014 glaciation affected about a third of the mentioned area, of which 10,000 hectares were seriously damaged. A significant part of the damage liquidation was done by 2016, with professional and consistent work they managed to protect the forests, and they were also able to start in a direction that would make the forests more resistant to extreme natural effects. He emphasized that forests also play an increasingly important role, for example in terms of water retention.
Source: MTI
Photo: MTI/Noémi Bruzák
