700,000 volunteers expected at tree planting events in Russia

MOSCOW, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- About 700,000 volunteers from across Russia were expected to take part Saturday in a massive project to plant trees, officials said.

The environmental actions were held to make up for the loss of trees due to wildfires, illegal tree felling and other factors, RIA Novosti reported.

"Some 700,000 people have voiced their desire to come," said Russian Federal Forestry Agency spokesman Vladimir Dmitriyev.

The Belgorod and Kemerovo regions usually have the most active planting campaigns, Dmitriyev said.

At a similar event held in the spring, volunteers planted trees on about 74,000 acres of land, RIA Novosti said.