For 100 years, foresters in Bulgaria have been organizing Forest Week. A concert entitled “A century of eternity” on 7 April will give the official start to the initiative dedicated to the planet’s lungs.

And though it has been a century since the start of the initiative by Bulgaria’s foresters, the efforts for the restoration, management and preservation of forests goes farther back, to the time right after the country’s liberation in 1878.  

Initially, the newly established Bulgarian state formed patrol units of forest rangers, on foot or on horseback, from the local administrations. But a year later, on 5 July, 1879, an independent sector was set up – “Forest supervision” with the department for state property and ores at the Ministry of Finance, laying the foundations of a state forestry office, the Executive Forest agency explains.

In 1925, The Ministry of Popular Enlightenment and the Ministry of Agriculture and State Property officially proclaimed 12 April a day of afforestation - which later grew to become Forest Week. On this day a church service was held in the Alexander Nevski cathedral, after which members of the public, students and teachers went to parks in the city and to the Sofia suburbs where they planted 420,000 saplings and 20 kgs. of seeds.

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2025 marks a series of historic events connected with the forests of Bulgaria. At the beginning of the year the country celebrated the centennial anniversary since the start of forestry education – on 28 January, 1925, Sofia university’s academic council made the decision to set up a forestry department at the faculty of agronomy. To mark the 100^th anniversary since the first Forest Week was celebrated, the Executive Forest Agency created a website “100 years Forest Week”.

In the days from 7 to the 13 April various initiatives nationwide will raise awareness of the work of forest rangers and how the efforts of each and every one of us can help preserve forests.

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Compiled by Elena Karkalanova
Translated and posted by Milena Daynova
Photos: sedmicanagorata.eu