the fertile plateau of the bekaa valley used to be famous for its lush cedar forests. tree even ended up on the country's flag. however, growing settlements and uncontrolled deforestation have meant that there is hardly anything left of the original forests, explains a coordinator from the aid organization "salam ladc." >> we never used to think about the importance of trees. we might sit under a tree in the shade, but we never asked ourselves, "where did it come from? who planted it?" it was only through this project we realized how much effort it is to regreen a country. >> reforesting lebanon is just one goal of salam. the work here is also supposed to bring people together who otherwise have little to do with each other, says batoul ibrahim, who fled from her syrian homeland to neighboring lebanon 10 years ago. >> the women here all work wonderfully together, whether they come from syria, perlstein, or lebanon. we originally met through the project, but now we are like sisters. we laugh together, we tell jokes, it makes the work easier. >> some of the women live in