The traditional Forest Week (April 1 and 7) is held this year under the motto: “140 years of history and traditions of care about the future of the forest”. The programme includes various initiatives of the Executive Forest Agency, the University of Forestry and educational institutions from all Bulgarian regions. The traditional mass afforestation on April 4, creative children’s workshops, seminars, discussions and exhibitions on forests, organized by the forestry and parks departments are among the multiple events dedicated to the Bulgarian forest. In 2019 the afforestation will cover a total of 1,5,00 hectares of state forests. 540 hectares of forests destroyed by fire, forest diseases and other natural calamities will be restored. The authorities are planning activities aimed to help the natural restoration of forests over a total area of 6,420 hectares.

“We have a remarkable history- 140 years since the establishment of the Central Forest Authority, 120 years since the foundation of the first forest printed media and 110 years since the establishment of the first forest society in Bulgaria. The forest society managed to preserve its right to plant and manage highly-productive and vital forests. It is a great responsibility and meanwhile very motivating to continue to deed of our predecessors,” the Director of the Executive Forest Agency Miroslav Djuparov said.

How the idea about the Forest Week was born?

Back in the remote 1911 Gorski Pregled newspaper of the Bulgarian Forest Society shared the idea that the new Bulgarian Forest Act should envisage an official forest feast. “The law should rule two days dedicated to the Bulgarian forest and afforestation-one in the autumn and one in the spring-when all Bulgarians aged 15 or above must plant at least 5 saplings in areas approved by the forestry board”

The idea materialized in 1925 with the adoption of the 8^th consecutive Forest Act when the first Afforestation Day was founded. The main task of the organizers was to encourage voluntary labor in all parts of the country whose bare mountain sides, villages and towns urgently needed afforestation. The first Afforestation Day was held on Annunciation, 1925, and the celebrations began with a solemn church service in front of the Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

A total of 420,000 saplings were planted. Twenty kilograms of forest seeds were sown. On the following year a total of 3.12 million saplings and 208 kilos of forest seeds were planted in Bulgaria. The feast grew and gained huge popularity over the years. Thanks to the enthusiasm of the foresters and the support of the Bulgarian people the Afforestation Day grew into a Forest Week in 1934. Foresters from all Bulgarian districts started awareness activities on the importance of forests and afforestation and the Bulgarian students were engaged in afforestation activities for a period of one week. Thus, the first Forest Week in Bulgaria was marked between April 12 and April 22, 1934.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov