Revitalizing Afghanistan

American Forests, Summer, 2005

AMERICAN FORESTS has joined Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and other partners in an effort to replant trees to revitalize Afghanistan's orchards, nurseries, woodlots, and greenbelts. The people-to-people tree-planting program, called the New York Partnership for a Green Afghanistan, is designed to help Afghanistan regain its historic position as the "orchard of Central Asia" and support Afghans as they rebuild their orchard, vineyard, and forestry businesses.

The announcement and a symbolic tree planting ceremony were held in Kabul and attended by President Hamid Karzai. Other partners include the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and International Paper.

The group is organized under the auspices of the Global Partnership for Afghanistan (GPFA), which was founded soon after 9/11 by New Yorkers and Afghan Americans in recognition of the tragedies suffered by both countries. GFPA is developing family-owned orchards, nurseries, and woodlot businesses encompassing an initial 70,000 trees. For its part, AMERICAN FORESTS is seeking corporate and individual sponsors to support this critical effort. Visit http://www.gpfa.org for information.

SUNY-ESF will support a university-to-university exchange for forestry faculty and students with Kabul University and donated 10,000 willows for use as a woody crop for fuel and bio-energy. Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will contribute expertise in fruit breeding, production, and disease and insect management, all vital to the revitalization of fruit farms.

The initial partners in the campaign also will foster the latest advancements in horticulture and forestry technology with a goal of fast-forwarding Afghanistan's environmental and economic recovery. This includes academic exchange, technical support to modernize the horticultural industry of Afghanistan, and forest development.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

"After more than a quarter-century of war, nearly 28 million Afghans are struggling to rebuild their livelihoods and communities in the face of destroyed homes, roads and infrastructure, a devastated natural environment and a shattered economy," said Sen. Clinton, who recently returned from Afghanistan. "The New York Partnership for a Green Afghanistan is an important step toward helping Afghans regain self-sufficiency, rebuild a viable economy and achieve political stability."

"I have personally witnessed the generosity of the American people as I revisit the Afghan countryside," said GPFA Co-chair M. Ishaq Nadiri lauded American generosity to Afghans, saying, "With US support, Afghanistan is rebuilding roads, infrastructure and security. Now we need to help Afghans restore livelihoods. Acres of scorched earth stand and dried fields stand where Afghans once cultivated flourishing orchards and vineyards, and the country struggles today to feed its population." Nadiri, the Jay Gould Professor of Economics at New York University, serves as senior economic advisor to President Karzai in Kabul.