Saudi National Afforestation Season 2026 to begin October 7

The National Afforestation Program has announced that the 2026 National Afforestation Season will begin on October 7 under the slogan "A Generation Plants for a Thriving Nation." The initiative aims to support the Saudi Green Initiative’s targets, expand vegetation cover, combat land degradation, and promote a culture of tree planting across the Kingdom.

The program stated that this year’s season will focus on highlighting the importance of planting native species suited to Saudi Arabia’s environment, raising awareness about the impact of harmful environmental practices, encouraging environmental volunteerism, and strengthening partnerships with government, private, and non-profit sectors to unify national efforts toward environmental sustainability.

The program noted that previous afforestation seasons have achieved significant milestones, including increasing the number of trees planted, rehabilitating degraded land, expanding community participation, and raising environmental awareness among all segments of society. These efforts have supported the Kingdom’s drive to enhance sustainability and achieve ecological balance.

Plans to restore and expand vegetation cover

On the ground, initiatives continue to rehabilitate natural rangelands through seed dispersal and rainwater harvesting. Efforts have included dispersing 109 tons of seeds from 40 native plant species and rehabilitating over 51,000 hectares in the past two years.

Current plans target the dispersal of more than 110 tons of seeds from 70 plant species to restore an additional 60,000 hectares this year, with the goal of rehabilitating 350,000 hectares by 2030. Seed dispersal operations will be aligned with cloud seeding opportunities to boost germination rates and ensure the sustainability of vegetation cover.

Official season identity launched

As part of preparations for the new season, the National Afforestation Program has unveiled the official identity for the National Afforestation Season, which incorporates national and environmental themes reflecting the season’s message of making afforestation a lasting commitment and a shared responsibility for future generations. The program called on all relevant entities to use the official identity in their media and visual materials to unify the season’s messaging and branding.

The National Afforestation Season is considered a comprehensive national, environmental, and community movement that reinforces the concept of sustainability and highlights the role of all sectors and individuals in preserving and developing vegetation cover, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.