Mules to help with forest planting work
Hundreds of specially trained mules will be deployed in the effort to reforest and protect from flooding areas of Cassandra, Halkidiki, that were destroyed in last month’s devastating fire. The animals will be used to carry saplings in steep areas where vehicles are banned because they would destroy the seeds that have already fallen to the ground from healthy trees, members of local forest cooperatives told the Athens News Agency yesterday. Four cooperatives will take part in the operation – the biggest group will have some 140 members and 300 mules at its disposal. The animals will also drag logs and carry wood to remote areas so authorities can build flood barriers before heavy rain hits the area. Some 5,000 hectares of pine forest were burned in the fire.
