The prominent Turkish conglomerate Kalyon Holding is making good on its pledge to further forestation efforts in the country as it faces potential risks from climate change. The company sets out to plant 50,000 saplings across an area where it recently constructed two tunnels that shortened travel in western Türkiye.

Mehmet Kalyoncu, chairperson of the board at Kalyon İnşaat, the construction company of the conglomerate, says with the new saplings, the number of trees they have planted across Türkiye will exceed 10.3 million. The campaign follows in the footsteps of the government's "Breath For The Future" mass forestation campaign.

The planting simultaneously started with the inauguration of the Assos and Troya tunnels on Oct. 11. The tunnels shorten travel time on a key route connecting Çanakkale province to İzmir and Balıkesir provinces, from about 50 minutes to 5 minutes. Located on the Ayvacık-Küçükkuyu road, the tunnels are situated on the steep slopes of Kazdağları or Mount Ida, a lush area in Çanakkale. Across the road, saplings are planted by Kalyon, in a bid to support local habitat.

Kalyoncu said in a statement that they were planting olive and red pine saplings since they suit the local environment and the trees will contribute an annual decline of 4,422 tons of carbon emissions. "We attach importance to having a livable world in the future as well and planting saplings is one of our strongest initiatives for the environment," he said. Kalyoncu noted the conglomerate already forested several areas in Istanbul, Çanakkale and Gaziantep provinces, citing the "memorial" forests in Istanbul’s Polonezköy, Kemerburgaz and Arnavutköy and the forests in Çanakkale and Gaziantep. He added that Kalyon Holding remains the only Turkish brand to have "planted the most trees" and is working to keep this title.