While in the rest of the world, COVID-19 raged this year, for our association it was the year of the oak. This year, we planted nearly 5,000 oak seedlings, most of which are in the Ciuc Basin. The remaining 500 are hidden on the border of Hodoșa, in the cover of protective tubes.
Including our previous plantings, we are now watching the slow growth of more than 15,000 seedlings.
The young seedlings, are very vulnerable at this stage of their lives, so in the autumn, in addition to planting, we take the time to prepare them for the next possibly tougher period of the year. These works vary depending on location and species.
In the Ciuc Basin, we are replanting oak forests, we planted almost 5000 oak seedlings on the border of Racu and Sândominic, so we had to take care of the small oak trees there. Sickling was most needed, in the vicinity of the seedlings, so that the higher herbaceous vegetation next to them would not be pressed on them by the snow.
For the seedlings in Retezat National Park, which we planted in the spring of 2019, there are other “dangers lurking”. There we planted 5,800 beeches (Fagus sylvatica), 2,900 spruces (Picea abies), 800 fir trees (Abies alba) and 500 black alders (Alnus glutinosa), the buds of which are preferred by the deer and roe deer living there in the winter months. Therefore, in addition to the sickle, the seedlings have been treated with a chemical whose scent keeps the deer away from it but is not harmful to the environment.
Now, all the seedlings are ready for the colder period, which is slowly coming. We will not meet them until spring either, but as soon as the snow melts, we will visit them, and we will give you news about their status!
All our plantings are in an early phase, so we are expected to take care of them for 5-6 years. If you think that you would help the seedlings to survive the acorn-bearing age, which can be 30-40 years for pedunculate oak, you can do so in the form of a donation on our website or on our official fundraising site.