Vitebsk region forestry enterprises plan to collect more than 37 tons of pine and spruce cones

Last year, forest workers managed to collect about 35 tons of cones from coniferous trees. This year, pines and spruces will yield more. "We won't set a record for cone collection this year, but overall, the coniferous harvest will be higher than last year's. According to preliminary estimates, we plan to collect about 24 tons of pine cones (including over 5 tons with seeds of improved properties), and 13.5 tons of spruce cones (1.5 tons with improved properties). In our region, we mainly cultivate spruces, which make up about 75% of the coniferous plant fund in the forests of the northern region. They bear fruit abundantly once every five years, and for about three years now, we have been collecting relatively few cones from these trees. Pines yield a harvest almost annually, but we need much less of them," said Alexey Kitašev, leading engineer for forest restoration and melioration at the Vitebsk GPKHO.

He explained that almost all the collected material is sent to the forest seed workshop of the Glubokoye Experimental Forestry Enterprise (OL), where the cones are dried, the seed wings are removed, and they are stored in special refrigerators. A three-year supply of seeds is always kept in storage here, creating a safety cushion in case of a poor harvest or other circumstances.

Seeds with improved properties are obtained in several forestry enterprises of the region, including the Glubokoye OL, which primarily cultivates spruces. The leading engineer also explained that the collected seeds are mainly intended for forest restoration plantings in the nurseries of the Vitebsk region's forestry enterprises, but if there is an excess of raw materials, it is sold upon request, including abroad.

"BELTA"