Macedonians were given a day off work Wednesday to plant almost six million trees as part of government efforts to revive forests and increase ecological awareness in the Balkan country.

Thousands of people braved rain and fog on the special public holiday to plant around 5.7 million trees at some 400 sites around the country.

The "Tree Day - Plant Your Future!" campaign was introduced in 2008 to revive Macedonia's forests and green spaces to replenish timber stocks which often fall prey to summer wildfires.

Some 38 million seedlings and trees have been planted as part of the campaign to date.