Artificial reforestation will take place on the area of 17,7 thousand hectares near the Lake of Baikal.

      

      Federal Forestry Agency has prepared a three-year program of restoring the woods in the Baikal area covering the Irkutsk Region, Buryatia and the Trans-Baikal Territory. It was reported in the press service of the Republican Forestry Agency of Buryatia.

      

      "Artificial reforestation will take place on the area of 17,7 thousand hectares, whereas measures for assisting the natural forest regeneration will be undertaken on the area of 40,7 thousand hectares", - the press service reported.

      The program scheduled for 2016-2018 consists of two stages.

      

      "At first the entire territory damaged by forest fires will undergo forest pathology inspection and sanitary cutting will be carried out on the area of over 65 thousand hectares. At the second stage reforestation works will be carried out on these sites: clearing the areas, preparing the soil and creating forest cultures" - the press release reads.

      

      More than 1 million seedlings of pine tree will be ready for planting. Foresters and volunteers will also plant the Siberian cedar, the Siberian larch and the European fir-tree.

      

      During the fire-dangerous season of 2015 the cumulative area of lands subjected to fires in the territory of the Irkutsk Region, Buryatia and Trans-Baikal Territory made 2,1 million hectares, including 1,8 million hectares of forest.