Thursday 6 December 2012

A Promise Kept.


In  October I wrote that despite tree clearance and a new road being driven through the ex-forest next to our house, the forestry workers had promised that the land would be replanted. Having lived long enough to have developed a healthy sceptical disregard for official promises, I have been expecting builders to turn up and develop the land into either housing or worse-still, a factory.  I'm extremely happy therefore to swallow my cynicism, chuck out my pessimism and re-embrace my inner Pollyanna. About 3 weeks ago a mysterious white line appeared dividing the cleared land in half, then an announcement  boomed discordantly from the village loudspeaker system telling us that the forestry commission wanted to recruit temporary workers  (35TL a day - about £12.50 - roughly the minimum wage in Turkey). A week later the saplings started being delivered and ever since an ever-changing group of men, women and children have been planting fir trees on the southern side of the white line.  


Two days ago, a more professional-looking, hard-hatted, florescent-tabarded crew of men arrived and started planting carob trees on the north side of the line.  I can't find out how long it takes a carob tree to mature but in a few years our bare expanse of mud is going to look very different.  I withdraw all my brickbats and send laudations and much gratitude to the Forestry Commission. 

20 comments:

  1. how absolutely marvelous...I am very pleasantly surprised (and delighted for you) that they're actually planting the trees :)

    wreath decorations on the hoods/radiators of vehicles at Christmas time has been going on for quite a number of years in this country...I can't remember exactly when I first started noticing it...a long time ago though :)

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    1. I realised the other day that I couldn't hang a wreath on my brand new front door, then I saw your post and am wondering what the locals will think if I hang in on the front of the VW.

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  2. Sometimes it's so good to be proved wrong,BtoB! I really like the fact the planting has given some work to the locals and that some of the trees being planted are cropping trees. Very satisfactory.

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    1. I'm very happy to be wrong this time. I wonder how long it takes for a carob tree to fruit.

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  3. Much better than a sea of mud! It takes 6 years from planting to fruit. Found it here http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/carob.html#Propagation.

    They are deep rooted so should keep the hillside where it is rather than in your garden :))

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    1. Thanks Idske - I could find this info.

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    2. Meant to write I COULDN'T find this info. I wish there was an edit button on comments.

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  4. Excellent news.... I bet you are delighted you were wrong. Jx

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  5. That is really good news!

    It would be great if they would re-forest the hill behind our house - instead they have built some kind of road.

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    1. We had just the road for over 12 months - maybe you will get trees too.

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  6. As Pollyanna would have said "I'm glad!"

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  7. After I read your entry, I remembered that yesterday we got an email from the forestry ministry announcing and advertising the Sultan Sazlığı Milli Parkı near Kayseri. They had put us on the mailing list after we went up to Taksim Square to get a free seedling one day. Vay, vay, vay. Glad to hear some more good news.

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    1. Haven't seen any free seedlings here - Wouldn't need pine ones as our terrace is covered with them every spring - I have to pull them up.

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  8. . . we had a similar experience when the Orman clear cut forest near our home. I put in a dilekçi to question the practice and about a week later the Area manager arrived with his team, arms full of maps and details of their 5/10/15/25/50 year plans. They explained why they clear cut that species of pine and how they deal with others - we parted good friends and we were much enlightened. 18 months later one of them came back unannounced to take me on a tour of the cut areas to see for myself the regeneration with included ares of mixed forest. The Orman is a pretty impressive organisation.
    Carobs are fairly slow growers.

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    1. I'd love to get my hands on those maps - I think the Forestry probably have access to the same sort of maps as the military.

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  9. Dear BtoB--as Perpetua names you!--this is really wonderful news. Exceptional! To plant a tree is always to plan for the future and to trust the tree to those generations who will come after us. It's an act of faith. So I'm so glad to learn this happened and that your expectations were dashed against the reality of new trees the planting of which gave work to the local people. Quite wonderful! Peace.

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  10. Glad to hear some positive great news......

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