Editing Reforestation (section)

=== Middle East ===

==== Israel ====
{{See also|Afforestation#Israel}}

Since 1948, large reforestation and afforestation projects were accomplished in Israel. 240&nbsp;million trees have been planted. The carbon sequestration rate in these forests is similar to the European temperate forests.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brand |first1=David |url=http://www.kkl-jnf.org/files/forests/afforestation-israel/UNFF-Afforestation-Israel.pdf |title=Forestry for People |last2=Moshe |first2=Itzhak |last3=Shaler |first3=Moshe |last4=Zuk |first4=Aviram |last5=Riov |first5=Dr Joseph |date=2011 |publisher=UN |pages=273–280 |access-date=30 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930193110/http://www.kkl-jnf.org/files/forests/afforestation-israel/UNFF-Afforestation-Israel.pdf |archive-date=30 September 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Israel and only one other country was documented to have a net increase of forestation in the 2000s. This type of progress could be attributed to the social practices that Israel incorporates into their society.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Reforesting Israel, Restoring Israel |url=http://www.allcreation.org/home/refo-is |access-date=2022-05-16 |website=AllCreation.org |date=22 February 2018 |language=en-US}}</ref>{{Dubious|date=July 2022|reason=non-reliable source}}

==== Lebanon ====
For thousands of years Lebanon was covered by forests; one particular species of interest, ''[[Cedrus libani]]'' was exceptionally valuable and was almost eliminated due to lumbering operations.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Forest and landscape restoration in Lebanon |encyclopedia=Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/plant/tree/ |access-date=25 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317095406/https://www.britannica.com/plant/tree |archive-date=2018-03-17 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Many ancient cultures along the Mediterranean Sea harvested these trees including the Phoenicians who used cedar, pine and juniper for boat building, the Romans, who cut them down for lime-burning kilns, and the Ottomans, who used much of the remaining cedar forests of Lebanon as fuel in steam trains in the early 20th century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lebanon National Forest Program 2015–2025, Ministry of Agriculture |url=http://extwprlegs1.fao.org/docs/pdf/leb163865.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526042046/http://extwprlegs1.fao.org/docs/pdf/leb163865.pdf |archive-date=2018-05-26 |access-date=2018-05-25}}</ref> Despite two millennia of deforestation, forests in Lebanon still cover 13.6% of the country, and other wooded lands represent 11%.<ref>{{cite web |date=29 April 2016 |title=Forest and landscape restoration in Lebanon |url=http://www.fao.org/in-action/forest-landscape-restoration-mechanism/resources/detail/en/c/412643/ |access-date=24 May 2018 |publisher=FAO}}</ref>

Law No. 558, which was ratified by the Lebanese Parliament on April 19, 1996, aims to protect and expand existing forests, classifying all forests of cedar, [[fir]], high juniper, evergreen cypress and other trees, whether diverse or homogeneous, whether state-owned or not as conserved forests.<ref>{{cite web |date=24 July 1996 |title=Lebanese Forest Conservation Law |url=https://jabalrihane.wordpress.com/2007/11/17/lebanese-forest-conservation-law/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526042207/https://jabalrihane.wordpress.com/2007/11/17/lebanese-forest-conservation-law/ |archive-date=26 May 2018 |access-date=25 May 2018 |publisher=Jabal Rihan}}</ref>

Since 2011 more than 600,000 trees, including cedars and other native species, have been planted throughout Lebanon as part of the Lebanon Reforestation Initiative, which aims to restore Lebanon's native forests.<ref>{{cite web |date=10 January 2017 |title=Restoring Lebanon's cedar forests |url=https://share.america.gov/restoring-lebanons-cedar-forests/ |access-date=24 May 2018 |publisher=Share America}}</ref> Projects financed locally and by international charity are performing extensive reforestation of cedar being carried out in the Mediterranean region, particularly in Lebanon and Turkey, where over 50&nbsp;million young cedars are being planted annually.

The Lebanon Reforestation Initiative has been working with tree nurseries throughout Lebanon since 2012 to grow stronger seedlings with higher survival rates.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sowing Seeds Today for a Better Tomorrow |url=http://www.lri-lb.org/en/nurseries.php#nurseries |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526112706/http://www.lri-lb.org/en/nurseries.php#nurseries |archive-date=26 May 2018 |access-date=25 May 2018 |publisher=Lebanon Reforestation}}</ref>

==== Turkey ====
Of the country's 78&nbsp;million hectares of land in total, the [[Ministry Of Agriculture And Forestry (Turkey)|Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry]] aims to increase [[:Category:Forests of Turkey|Turkey's forest cover]] to 30% by 2023.<ref>{{cite news |date=21 March 2018 |title=Turkey goes greener with new afforestation campaign |work=Daily Sabah |url=https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/2018/03/22/turkey-goes-greener-with-new-afforestation-campaign}}</ref>

Four thousand years ago, [[Anatolia]] was 60% to 70% forested.<ref name="Colak">{{cite journal |last1=Colak and Rotherham |date=2006 |title=A Review of the Forest Vegetation of Turkey: Its Status Past and Present and Its Future Conservation |url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/64d0/bb39fb92969a5e65770e69ab71cca70cc44d.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy |volume=106 B |pages=343–354 |doi=10.3318/BIOE.2006.106.3.343 |s2cid=46955795 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180914132343/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/64d0/bb39fb92969a5e65770e69ab71cca70cc44d.pdf |archive-date=2018-09-14 |number=3}}</ref> Although the [[flora of Turkey]] remains more biodiverse than many European countries, deforestation occurred during both prehistoric<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Willcox |first1=G. H. |date=1974 |title=A History of Deforestation as Indicated by Charcoal Analysis of Four Sites in Eastern Anatolia |journal=Anatolian Studies |volume=24 |pages=117–133 |doi=10.2307/3642603 |jstor=3642603 |s2cid=131664221}}</ref> and historic times, including the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hughes |first1=J.D. |date=2010 |title=Ancient Deforestation Revisited |journal=Journal of the History of Biology |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=43–57 |doi=10.1007/s10739-010-9247-3 |pmid=20669043 |s2cid=24975334}}</ref> and [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Conference Review: "Environmental History of the Ottoman Empire and Turkey", University of Hamburg, 27-28 October 2017 |url=https://networks.h-net.org/node/19397/discussions/1065869/conference-review-environmental-history-ottoman-empire-and-turkey |website=H Net}}</ref> periods.

Since the first forest code of 1937, the official government definition of 'forest' has varied.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lund |first1=H. Gyde |date=2014 |title=What Is a Forest? Definitions Do Make a Difference an Example from Turkey |url=http://dergipark.gov.tr/download/article-file/59831 |url-status=dead |journal=Avrasya Terim Dergisi |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=1–8 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180914132353/http://dergipark.gov.tr/download/article-file/59831 |archive-date=2018-09-14 |access-date=2018-09-14}}</ref> According to the current definition, 21&nbsp;million hectares are forested, an increase of about 1&nbsp;million hectares over the past thirty years, but only about half is 'productive'.<ref>{{cite web |title=Turkey Forests |url=https://www.ogm.gov.tr/lang/en/Pages/Forests/TurkeyForests.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180914132446/https://www.ogm.gov.tr/lang/en/Pages/Forests/TurkeyForests.aspx |archive-date=14 September 2018 |access-date=14 September 2018 |website=General Directorate of Forestry}}</ref> However, according to the United Nations [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] definition of forest,<ref>{{cite web |title=Global Forest Resources Assessment 2015: Country Report: Turkey |url=http://www.fao.org/3/a-az358e.pdf |publisher=[[FAO]]}}</ref> about 12&nbsp;million hectares was forested in 2015,<ref>{{cite web |title=Global Forest Resources Assessment 2015 Desk Reference |url=http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4808e.pdf |publisher=[[FAO]]}}</ref> about 15% of the land surface.{{Update inline|date=May 2021}}

The amount of [[greenhouse gas emissions by Turkey]] removed by forests is very uncertain.<ref name=":3">Turkish Greenhouse Gas Inventory report (2019), [https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/tur-2019-nir-13apr19.zip zip file]</ref>{{rp|489}}{{As of|2019}}, however, a new assessment is being made with the help of satellites and new soil measurements and better information should be available by 2020.<ref name=":3" /> According to the [[World Resources Institute]] "Atlas of Forest Landscape Restoration Opportunities", 50&nbsp;million hectares are potential forest land, a similar area to the ancient Anatolian forest mentioned above.<ref>{{cite web |title=Atlas of Forest Landscape Restoration Opportunities |url=http://www.wri.org/applications/maps/flr-atlas/# |access-date=14 September 2018 |publisher=World Resources Institute}}</ref> This could help limit [[climate change in Turkey]]. To help preserve the [[Turkey#Biodiversity|biodiversity of Turkey]], more sustainable forestry has been suggested.<ref name="Colak" /> Improved [[rangeland management]] is also needed.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gökbulak |first1=Ferhat |last2=Erdoğan |first2=Betül Uygur |last3=Yıldırım |first3=Hasan Tezcan |last4=Özçelik |first4=Mehmet S. |date=2018-07-20 |title=Causes of land degradation and rehabilitation efforts of rangelands in Turkey |url=https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/forestist/396995 |journal=Forestist |language=en |volume=68 |issue=2 |pages=106–113}}{{Dead link|date=October 2019|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

National Forestation Day is on 11 November but, according to the agriculture and forestry [[trade union]], although volunteers planted a record number of trees in 2019, most had died by 2020 in part due to lack of rainfall.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kent |first=Sami |date=2020-01-30 |title=Most of 11m trees planted in Turkish project 'may be dead' |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/30/most-of-11m-trees-planted-in-turkish-project-may-be-dead |access-date=2020-01-30 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>