Motor Oil Group undertakes reforestation of Kineta area
Athens, 5 March 2021 – With the motto “Planting together, giving life”, the MOTOR OIL Group conducted a pilot reforestation project in Kineta, in the Municipality of Megara. As part of the effort, 6,500 trees were planted around the Panorama 3 settlement, in an area of 10 hectares designated for reforestation after the catastrophic fires of 2018.
The project was completed within 14 days from the day the crew set up operations in the area. Some of the species planted were: Aleppo pine, cypress, oak, mastic, stone pine and others, in accordance with forestry authority specifications. Before planting, the area underwent a large-scale clearing effort to remove quantities of burnt trees and waste that had accumulated there after the fire and which were significantly harming the environment. The waste was collected and deposited for recycling.
The reforestation site was selected after on-site surveys in the area with the help of the Megara Forestry Department and the Attica Reforestation Directorate. Expert scientists prepared a reforestation plan and the project began after the protocol for the work was signed. The entire process was also assisted by the Attica Forests General Directorate and the Decentralised Forest Management Service. Based on the management plan, Motor Oil has taken responsibility for watering and looking after the trees for two years.
Yannis V. Vardinoyannis, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, said: “Forest ecosystems are the life-giving ‘lungs of the earth’ while offering the most valuable benefits for humans and the environment. That’s why we wanted to make a practical contribution to restoring the forest lands in the Kineta area which were destroyed by the fires of 2018. To that end, we decided initially to undertake the reforestation at the Panorama 3 settlement on a pilot basis.
“As we completed the project, we had the opportunity to speak with local residents and organisations, who expressed their satisfaction with this initiative in the warmest possible terms. We feel the same sense of satisfaction because we believe that by planting together, we are giving life. The local residents’ desire to see their area green again is starting to be realised,” he continued.
