Prince Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Governor of the Eastern Province, today launched the 2026-2027 national tree-planting season at the governorate headquarters. Organised by the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification under the slogan "A generation that plants, for a nation that thrives", the season supports the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative.

The governor said developing vegetation cover and protecting the environment is a shared responsibility that requires all sectors to work together and to expand initiatives that increase green spaces.

Eng. Yousef bin Sulaiman Al-Badr, director general of the centre's Eastern Province branch, said the programme aims to plant 55.3 million trees in the region by 2030 and has so far reached 64% of that target, alongside work to rehabilitate natural rangelands and restore degraded sites.

This season focuses on planting at schools, universities, health facilities, mosques, sports clubs, industrial sites and parks, as well as mangrove planting, with government, private, non-profit and volunteer participation.

The ceremony saw the signing of 10 memoranda of understanding, the announcement of 19 environmental initiatives, the start of a planting project in Qaryat Al Ulya Governorate with the Ehsan platform, and the launch of a forest sustainability project at Danat Al Ramis in Qatif Governorate.