Ukraine has begun planting new forests in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone to revive its depleted landscape.
The State Environmental Inspection of Kyiv reports that the State Specialized Enterprise “Northern Pushcha” has planted new forest areas covering around 70 hectares, helping to restore a region impacted by radioactive contamination and recent fires.
“These areas need special care, as nature alone can’t rejuvenate them,” noted the inspection’s press release on Facebook.
According to enterprise, each tree as a step toward a cleaner environment and a more stable ecosystem.
The devastating fires in September, which affected over 2,600 hectares, underscored the importance of preserving Chornobyl’s forested areas. The fire-fighting efforts were also hampered by the danger of unexploded mines in the region.
The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone was left uninhabitable after the 1986 nuclear disaster. It briefly became a tourist site before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when Russian forces occupied the area before withdrawing in March.
