Sofia is planting a new forest

The forest will be part of a network of green spaces, comprising a future green belt in the city. Notably, a lot of the work so far has been done by volunteers

Today, local authorities in Sofia announced they will start planting a new forest at the end of the week. The forest will take up 33 acres of land near the village of Negovan while the city has said it will plant a total of 86,000 trees. ‘The New Sofia Forest’ is a project that aims to create a green belt around the Bulgarian capital that will improve air quality and create more places for recreation in the future.

In fact, this is the second forest the city will plant as part of this massive green initiative. Work on the first one started in 2017 and continued all the way through to 2020. It is located in the Suhodol neighbourhood. Furthermore, it takes up an area of 50 acres and comprises some 100,000 trees.

According to a statement by the city, the forests will have a cumulative effect on many areas, with regards to both pollution and sustainability. They should act as air filtration systems for Sofia and help protect and boost biodiversity.

Furthermore, according to authorities, the forests will help to prevent flooding in the lower parts of the Sofia valley and create new spaces suitable for sports and sustainable tourism.

Volunteers are the main engine behind the forest initiative

The first forest initiative was completed with the help of volunteers, some from the civil administration, some private citizens and some private companies, all pitching in to help create the green belts and forests.

The new forest will rely on the same force of goodwill as well, as planting is scheduled to take place over a period of four weekends in the months of April and May, with the first date scheduled on the 9^th. Local authorities are expecting to be able to plant around 15,000 trees per day.

This is why they are opening the call to anyone willing to help with the initiative. The site will be accessible by car, but also by public transport. The 20 bus line will have a new stop called “New Sofia Forest - Negovan”.