The brotherhood and cooperation between Türkiye and Azerbaijan turned into a permanent investment with the International Forestry Training Center and Nursery Facility established in Karabakh. The facility, established on an area of 11.4 hectares in Cebrayıl, will produce 2 million saplings annually. The center will provide theoretical and practical forestry training to 400 people every year.
GREEN BASE TO THE TURKISH WORLD
The strong cooperation between Türkiye and Azerbaijan gained a new dimension with an important project implemented to re-green Karabakh. The Türkiye-Azerbaijan International Forestry Training Center and Nursery Facility, established in the Cebrayıl district of the Karabakh region, which was liberated from the occupation of Azerbaijan, was completed. The project, which was implemented with the contributions of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, transformed the brotherly ties between the two countries into a permanent infrastructure in the field of forestry. The facility, whose foundations were laid by President Tayyip Erdoğan and Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev in 2022, was completed on October 12, 2026 and was established on a total area of 11.4 hectares. The campus, consisting of a training center, administrative buildings, laboratory, greenhouses, production areas and support units, will serve as both a production and training center for the reforestation of Karabakh. Within the scope of the commissioning of the completed facility, technical systems tests were carried out and usage and operation training was given to Azerbaijani technical personnel. In the long term, the project is aimed to contribute not only to the afforestation of Karabakh but also to the sharing of knowledge and experience in the field of forestry between Azerbaijan and the countries in the Turkish world. It is planned to carry out joint studies in areas such as seed production, nursery management, afforestation, forest rehabilitation, forest protection and fire fighting.
2 MILLION SEEDLINGS A YEAR
The 12,200 square meter section of the facility consists of the training center building, nursery administrative building, laboratory, greenhouses, workshop and other structures. The facility, which has a sapling production area of 47 thousand 300 square meters, has an annual production capacity of 2 million saplings. The nursery, where modern production techniques will be used, also includes fully automated and air-conditioned greenhouses. Seedlings will be grown under controlled conditions in a 1,500 square meter greenhouse area. Irrigation water boreholes, water tanks, pumping stations and irrigation infrastructure were also created for the sustainability of sapling production. A solar energy system with a capacity of 400 kilowatts was also installed in the facility. This system is aimed to meet 50 percent of the campus' electricity needs. There is also a 700 square meter sales and exhibition area for the presentation and distribution of saplings and a workshop that supports production and shipping processes.
IT'S ALSO LIKE SCHOOL
The training center completed within the scope of the project will be the base of theoretical and practical training in the field of forestry. The International Forestry Training Center, which has three floors and a closed area of 2,800 square meters, will be able to provide accommodation training to 400 people a year. Training will be held at the center in the fields of forestry, sapling growing, seed production, afforestation and modern production techniques. Units such as conference halls, training classes, dining hall and guesthouse will also support educational activities. Technical studies on sapling and seed analysis will be carried out in the 300 square meter laboratory in the facility. The seed stock center and cold storage will also enable the storage of production inputs under suitable conditions. Thus, the project will not only be limited to sapling production but will also contribute to sharing technical knowledge and experience.
