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PRESS RELEASE

U.S. PROMOTES REFORESTATION AND CONSERVATION

Friday, November 25, 2011

Beirut, Lebanon

On November 25, 2011, U.S. Ambassador Maura Connelly launched the Lebanon Reforestation Initiative (LRI) planting season in Tannourine by planting a cedar tree that begins a long-term strategy to link the endangered cedar forests in Tannourine and Bcharre.  Over the next year, 15,000 native trees, including the cedar, will be planted in the region that will cover 50,000 square kilometers.  LRI partners with Lebanese grassroots organizations and local communities to promote reforestation and prevent wildfires that threaten the country’s remaining forests, including Lebanon’s emblematic cedar.  Forest degradation over the last 50 years has significantly decreased forest cover in Lebanon by more than 35 percent, posing serious threats to the country’s air quality and water security.

Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the US Forest Service, more than 120,000 native tree seedlings, grown under modern production methods using advanced nursery equipment provided under the project, will be planted with a goal of increasing Lebanese forest cover by 20 percent. With U.S. funding, LRI is building the capacity of environmental organizations and other Lebanese institutions to manage and expand the country’s forests, increase the planting of hundreds of thousands of native trees on selected sites across Lebanon, and establish a financially and technically endowed foundation to continue supporting reforestation at enhanced levels over the longer term.  The program selected Tannourine and Bcharre in the North, Klayaa in the South, and Anjar, Kfar Zabad and Rachaya in the Bekaa as initial sites to be reforested with approximately 11 species of native Lebanese trees, including cedars and pines. Additional sites will be addressed in future stages of the program. 

This four-year $11.9 million project will enhance native tree nursery operations and improve reforestation practices throughout Lebanon, promoting rural development.  The LRI is part of USAID’s environmental program to engage local communities in preserving Lebanon’s natural resources.