Macedonians Dig Deep, Plant Millions of Trees

Free bus transport will be offered to people who want to join the effort, with plantings taking place at 100 different locations that have been pinpointed as critical.
 
The state declared Tuesday a non working day in order to encourage more people to join the cause.

President Georgi Ivanov and Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, along with cabinet ministers, foreign diplomats, MPs, Macedonian Army members, pupils and students will also take part in the effort.

Campaign initiator Boris Trajanov, a Macedonian opera singer, said today's action would cover the country's border crossings with neighbouring Bulgaria, Greece, Albania, Serbia and Kosovo. People from these countries have also announced that they will plant trees today on their side of the border as part of the growing movement, thus giving it a Balkan flavor.

Approximately 20 million seedlings were planted in Macedonia in the previous four campaigns held during 2008 and 2009.
 
The idea was born after a string of massive wildfires engulfed the country’s mountains in the summer of 2007, causing millions of euros in damage and stripping much of the land of its trees.