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This autumn, around 30,000 trees will be planted in protected natural areas in honour of newly-born Muscovites. According to Moscow’s Department of Information Technology, the scheme is open to city residents with children who were born in 2019. 

“We’re launching a wonderful scheme called Our Tree. From this year, Moscow families will be able to plant a tree to mark the birth of their child. Applications will be accepted for three years after the infant’s birth,” announced Sergey Sobyanin, the Mayor of Moscow.

“Via an interactive map on the Moscow government portal, users will be able to select an area within a woodland park and the type of tree they want to plant. Information on the availability of parkland and saplings will be displayed online. You also need to provide details about yourself and your child, together with your home address,” said Eduard Lysenko, Minister of the Government of Moscow and Head of the Department of Information Technologies.

Information on the date, time and place of planting of the family tree, together with an invitation to the ceremonial event, will be sent to the parent’s online account in the portal 10 working days before the date of planting. A reminder will be sent three calendar days before the event. 
In total, around 30,000 trees will be planted by the end of the year under the Our Tree scheme. 
The trees will be large saplings – 10-15-year-old plants with a root ball – and there will be a choice of nine different types of tree: rowan, small-leaved lime, Norway maple, common pine, white willow, common oak, domesticated apple, spruce and pear.  

“Planting will begin in the autumn, which is the best time of year for trees to take root. We plan to make this an annual event. Parents who don’t get the chance to apply this year will be able to take part in the scheme for three years after the birth of their child,” said Anton Kulbachevsky, Head of Moscow’s Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection. 

Applications for planting of personal trees in the autumn of 2019 will be accepted until 31st July 2019. Applications received after that date will be for the autumn of 2020. Almost 700 applications have already been received from Muscovites for participation in the Our Tree scheme. 

As the saplings are large, families will be provided with all the necessary tools at the site and will help plant them. A few days after the trees have been planted, each park will hold a celebration for the young Muscovites and their parents, and within two weeks, the parents will receive via their online account in mos.ru an electronic certificate of planting of personal named tree showing its exact GSP coordinates.  

Specialists will monitor the condition of the trees, and any unhealthy saplings will be replaced. Participants in the scheme will be informed that their tree needs to be replaced and will be sent a photograph of the new plant. 

In the autumn of 2013, Moscow launched its Million Trees programme. Since then, roughly 19,000 courtyards across the city have been planted up with over 2.3 million trees and bushes.