The restoration of almost 12 ha forest shelter belts in two forest enterprises of the Northeast State Company (NESC) has started. 3.7 ha of them are on the territory of State Forest Enterprise – Dobrich and 8.2 ha in State Hunting Enterprise – Balchik. Restoration activities will continue until the end of the year.
Currently the belts are not in good condition, they were created many years ago, and it is time to restore them. “In the summer we will prepare the soil and, in the autumn, we will plant the prepared sites”, explained the deputy director of the State Hunting Enterprise – Balchik, eng. Radoslav Radev.
The technological plans for afforestation in the forest shelter belts are ready and the saplings have been grown in the nursery of the enterprise. Turkey oak, silver lime, sycamore, ash and some other species will be planted in the belts.
According to the foresters, the rain of recent days has been very beneficial and all the saplings in the nursery are in excellent condition. The trees were grown from seeds obtained in the special forest stands called seeds banks in the region, they are acclimatized and adapted to the changes in climate that have been observed in recent years in North-eastern Bulgaria.
The conversion of almost 10 ha of conifers plantation to mixed broadleaf forests should also be completed by mid-December. According to eng. Radev, the black pine, which was planted in the past, has done its job, the erosion is under control, soil has been created and it is time to start replacing the tree species.
“The pine that will be removed was planted at 50-100 metres above sea level to stop soil washing away near the seashore. However, coniferous species cannot thrive for long in these conditions and it is now time to replace them with trees that are typical for this part of our country,” said eng. Radev.
The restoration of the forest shelter belts and the conversion of coniferous plantations into deciduous forests is carried out under the project “Conservation measures for the Lesser Spotted Eagle and its habitats in Bulgaria”, under the LIFE programme of the EU. Partners in the project are EFA, BSPB, NESC and SESC.