In 2025, the General Directorate of Forestry took significant steps to support the social and economic development of forest villagers through the Forest and Village Relations (ORKÖY) program, allocating approximately 2.5 billion TL in funding. Within this framework, support was provided—based on their requests—to 7 Agricultural Development Cooperatives and 10,830 forest villager households through various projects.
To strengthen household economies and promote income-generating activities, 773 women living in forest villages received micro-credit support totaling 27,960,000 TL in 2025 for the production of handicrafts and local products.
To expand the use of renewable energy, 175,280,000 TL was allocated for the installation of grid-connected rooftop solar power systems (ŞEBGES) in 1,252 forest villagers' homes. In addition, support for production mechanization for forest villagers engaged in forestry activities continued throughout 2025. This support—covering tractors, log hoists, chainsaws, and similar equipment—amounted to 666,585,000 TL, benefiting 1,448 households.
As part of ORKÖY's 2025 activities, seven agricultural cooperatives received support, six of which were provided with construction equipment. The total support extended to cooperatives reached 39,034,000 TL.
Efforts to reduce energy costs in cooperative-operated facilities are also ongoing. In this context, a 550 kWh/hour capacity solar energy system was installed on the roof of a cold storage facility belonging to a cooperative in Yeşilköy village, Bayramiç district of Çanakkale. This investment—the largest solar power plant project implemented by ORKÖY to date—was financed through the İDOP program, with 80% loan and 20% grant support. Of the project's total cost of 12,891,000 TL, 9,474,000 TL was provided through ORKÖY support. The project also contributes to combating climate change by increasing the use of renewable energy.
In 2025, social ORKÖY support initiatives resulted in savings of 26,307 cubic meters of wood, while economic projects generated 34,175 man-months of employment. Individual projects identified for expansion during the same year included solar-powered caravans, tractor-mounted trailers, log peeling machines, and firefighting equipment support.
Looking ahead to 2026, the General Directorate of Forestry aims to support 11 Agricultural Development Cooperatives and 12,200 forest village households established in forest villages, with a total ORKÖY budget of 3,325,000,000 TL.