A center for growing forest planting material using Finnish technology will be created in the Vitebsk region

A center for growing forest planting material using Finnish technology will be created in the Vitebsk region. This was announced today at a meeting of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee by Sergey Danilovich, General Director of the Vitebsk State Production Forestry Association (Vitebsk GPKHO).

Since 2014, Vitebsk foresters have actively engaged in growing European spruce planting material with a closed root system – special machinery and equipment have been purchased, and a greenhouse is available. "In 2016, it is planned to establish a nursery on an area of 250 hectares. The plans also include the construction of a modern center for growing planting material with a closed root system with an annual production capacity of over 3 million seedlings. Br55 billion is required for the design, construction, and equipment procurement. The project implementation will allow by 2020 to increase the proportion of sown and planted seedlings with a closed root system using modern technologies to 30% of the total volume of forest sowing and planting," said Sergey Danilovich.

The Finnish technology uses cassettes; cultivation is carried out first in greenhouses and then in growing fields. When planting in a forest area, the seedling is planted with a clod of earth. Consequently, it takes root better, practically does not get sick, and the amount of care for the plantings decreases. The consumption of seeds when sowing in cassettes is reduced several times. Speaking about forest reproduction, Sergey Danilovich emphasized that in 2014 and 2015, the Glubokoye Experimental and Polotsk forestries created 12.4 hectares of European spruce seed plantations, 5 new nurseries appeared in the region, and the region is now fully supplied with its own planting material. "Over 2 years, revenue from the sale of planting and seed material has more than doubled. For 9 months of the current year, Br8.9 billion was received from this type of activity, including Br5.6 billion from export sales. Planting material was sent to Russia, Latvia, and Sweden," noted the General Director.

Alena Tikhonova, BELTA.