The Association for forest development and conservation (AFDC) and Expeditors, the multinational logistics provider, have joined forces in a bid to plan 36 million trees in Lebanon over the course of 20 years.
The success of this reforestation project will increase the percentage of forests in Lebanon to 20% (from its actual 12%).
In the frame of the Social Corporate Responsibility, AFDC and Expeditors have secured a piece of land in Tarchich that can have a capacity of 500 to 600 Cedar trees which will be planted over the course of the next 3 years.
Expeditors‘ spokesperson, Charbel Hachem, stated that the main goal of Expeditors’ “Go Green initiative” is to sustain this piece of land, increase its area every year “until we have a Cedar forest”.
He added that Expeditors has chosen the Cedar tree specifically “because it is the symbol of our country, history and flag”. What is extremely important is the fact that the company decided starting a Cedar forest in a part of Lebanon where there are no more Cedar trees.
So that we extend the Cedar coverage across Lebanon and have a new Cedar forest on the map. Furthermore, Charbel Hachem, considered that this initiative would increase awareness on the importance of trees and increasing green areas not only for their beauty but also for their role in reducing carbon emissions, absorbing running surface water, and preserving the soil.
M.Hachem hoped that what Expeditors does today with this idea, will trigger the interest of other companies in Lebanon to follow which will further get us closer to AFDC ‘s 20 year plan. Expeditors financed most of the 300 Cedar trees which had been planted.
Employees also donated on their own and adopting additional trees. All the employees of Expeditors participated Sunday in the forestation of a plot of Tarchich where they got to plant the baby Cedar trees.
