The last planting site of Tomorrow’s Forest in the spring season of 2023 was in the Giurgeu mountains, near the source of the Olt River, more than 1300 meters above sea level.

We started on a cold morning in May to regenerate an area of over 21.5 hectares, affected by windfalls in February 2020. Joining us on the steep slopes, about 30 volunteers – people from the community and students from Suseni (Gyergyóújfalu, Harghita county) got involved in the first day of planting.

Funding for this plantation was provided by One Tree Planted, a global organization dedicated to reforestation and the fight against climate change. One Tree Planted has been inspiring us for years, and now we are proud and grateful to have started working together, for healthier and more resilient forests in the age of global warming.

Even in temperate Romania, climate change has increased the frequency and intensity of extreme weather phenomena, and the slopes of the Eastern Carpathians are particularly affected by strong winds, almost every year. You probably noticed that many of our plantations are reforestation of lands affected by wind throws, especially in Harghita and Covasna counties.

The funding comes to the aid of a community that lost almost a quarter of its forests, says Egyed József, the mayor of Suseni. “They were young forests, about 50-60 years old, and the wood could not be used – very difficult to extract in these parts. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that the seedlings will grow, and the forest will once again look like it did thirty years ago. The entire community is grateful to One Tree Planted and the Forest of Tomorrow for their patience and effort!”

A sweet and sour forest, full of vitamin C

We used over 71,700 seedlings of several hardwood and softwood species in the entire area – mostly spruce, mountain ash, and larch. These are forest species adapted to the heights of the Eastern Carpathians, in a mixture that will help the young forest to better withstand heavy storms.

But we didn’t forget about the animals either: we added rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) to the mix so that the animals of the forest can endure the harshness of the cold season more easily – the frost-bitten rowan fruit is a treat for dozens of species of birds and mammals: songbirds, deer, squirrels, dormice, and even badgers or foxes eat them in the cold season because they are sweet and full of vitamins.

“This is the second project, after the one in Făget, Timiș county, in which we undertake to plant species that produce fruit for the animals of the forest, in addition to the usual forest species that are planted in this area,” explains Mihail Caradaică, executive director of the Tomorrow’s Forest Foundation. “Such food forests have a tremendous role for the protection of biodiversity and we are delighted that our partners at One Tree Planted immediately embraced the idea and supported us in planting this mix of species.”

Thank you, One Tree Planted, for your support, and thanks to the people from Suseni, the students from Elekes Vencel School, and the Miercurea-Ciuc Forest Management Unit for their involvement!

 

Vezi mai multe fotografii de la plantare pe pagina noastră de Facebook.