According to Aibolat Sultangaziyev, director of the Kegen Forestry State Enterprise, 1,069,920 coniferous trees have been planted on an area of 154.4 hectares to date. In addition, 118 thousand seedlings have been planted on 110 hectares. These works prevent soil erosion. The work of foresters is assessed not by the number of planted seedlings, but by their level of adaptation to the local area. Currently, this figure is 75-80 percent.
The golden fund of the forest is prepared at seed stations and arboretums. Over 2021-2025, forestry specialists collected more than 1,400 kilograms of selected seeds. Thus, without importing seedlings from outside, the forest area is increasingly expanding due to seeds prepared locally.
The main facility in this direction is the arboretum. Here, on an area of 3.25 hectares, 2,879,000 seedlings have been grown over several years. They are intended to replenish the forest near the village of Saty. Seedlings are also sent to other districts of Almaty Region. In the future, about three million trees grown in the arboretum will find their place in the forest and have a positive impact on maintaining ecological stability.
Today, 109 people work in the forestry enterprise with a total area of 89,941 hectares. It is fully equipped with the necessary machinery. These include 19 all-terrain patrol vehicles, 62 horses, 2 fire engines, 3 trucks, 6 wheeled and 5 tracked tractors, 1 mini-tractor and 1 excavator.
In recent years, many young specialists have been coming to this industry. This is facilitated by salary increases and constant updating of material and technical resources. These works are being implemented in accordance with the instruction of the Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to plant two billion trees. They also give impetus to the development of ecotourism in the region and the preservation of its natural wealth.
