Kiyzassky Open-Pit Mine Plants Trees on More Than 220 Hectares

Thanks to the company, the forests of Kemerovo Region have been replenished with millions of fir and pine seedlings

This year, planting took place in the Izhmorsky District, where 188.5 hectares of forest were planted with trees, and the Myskovsky Urban District, where reforestation activities took place on 39.2 hectares of land. Through the joint efforts of coal miners and foresters, young trees appeared in places that had suffered from mass logging or forest fires. The Kiyzassky Open-Pit Mine has been planting trees on lands earmarked for reforestation for several years.

Kiyzassky Open-Pit Mine’s employees also planted over a thousand trees in the Novokuznetsk District near the village of Sosnovka. Coal mining companies in the South of the region, as well as employees of the Novokuznetsk District Administration, were invited to participate by the Kuzbass Forest Department, which organized the event. The planting was carried as part of the region’s Forest Conservation program and the national Ecology project.

In total, 18,900 coniferous trees were planted in one day. Fast-growing pine trees emit oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide, so they improve carbon balance and stabilize the climate.

Kuzbass Forest Department’s first deputy head, Alexander Ermakov, was also present at the event. He thanked the coal miners for participating in the planting:

“We are pleased that more and more companies contribute to the restoration of Siberia’s forests every year. This isn’t the first time that Kiyzassky Open-Pit Mine has supported activities like these. Company representatives personally plant coniferous and deciduous trees in the spring and fall, and take an interest in their survival. I think that all businesses will realize the importance of doing this sooner or later".

A special shovel, dubbed ‘Kolesov's sword’, was used to make the holes in the ground where the saplings were planted. With the help of this convenient tool, planting one tree takes no more than a minute. Event participants worked in pairs: the men wielded Kolesov’s sword, while the women planted young scots pines.

Kiyzassky Open-Pit Mine’s compensatory reforestation program was launched two years ago, in 2020. Trees have been planted on an area of about 300 hectares in Kemerovo Region since then.