HOW FOREST SEEDLINGS ARE GROWN IN GREECE [FOTO / VIDEO]

The State Forest Nursery in Central Macedonia specializes in cultivating seedlings of forest species, primarily coniferous trees, for the needs of Northern Greece, Central Macedonia, and neighboring regions. Thanks to the installation of new equipment, which has been in use for four years, the nursery now produces about 1 million seedlings per year and plans to expand its capacity.

Main Cultivation Directions

The nursery cultivates more than 30 different tree species. The largest volume is occupied by local coniferous species. They are best adapted to the local arid climate. They are also not demanding on soil quality and withstand prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. However, they have limited frost resistance, tolerating short-term temperatures only down to -10°C. Here, they can only be used for experimental plantings. The nursery also has a small amount of acacia, which is considered a locally acclimatized species. It is very few — less than 1% of the total number of seedlings.

Previously, seedlings were grown with an open root system (ORS), which is still the standard for most nurseries in Moldova. However, due to the increasing duration of dry periods, ORS has stopped showing good rooting and survival rates, and now the nursery has fully transitioned to container growing. ORS has been completely abandoned!

Seed Production and Genetic Material

The nursery collects seeds for planting by using seed trees growing in places where natural stands with good germination ability have already formed. Also, near Athens, there is a national gene bank where seeds are collected from various parts of Greece. The country is characterized by a diversity of climatic zones, so the seed bank accumulates seeds adapted to different conditions. Each seed batch is labeled to ensure planting in the same region from where they were obtained. For example, the fresh seedlings, which now occupy most of the nursery (about half a million), are intended for the Attica region (Athens), where large-scale forest fire extinguishing efforts are currently underway. These seedlings are grown here from seeds collected in Attica, as this nursery has free space for their cultivation. Later, the ready seedlings will be transported back to Attica.

Sowing and Growing

Sowing in trays begins in January and continues until May, using automated equipment that fills trays with substrate and sows seeds with minimal human involvement. Most seedlings are grown in open shaded areas, and only some species require pre-germination in a controlled greenhouse environment. Seedlings that were not demanded for planting in forest management areas remain for additional growing for a second or even third year in specially designated areas or are sold at a minimal markup to private individuals, construction organizations, road services, municipalities, and other interested parties involved in greening activities.

There are still 5 such nurseries in Greece. The manager mentioned that in previous years, 2 of the large ones had to be closed due to a significant labor shortage. In this case, automation and modern technologies are the only way to maintain the functionality of existing nurseries and provide quality planting material in the required volumes.

Water Treatment and Irrigation System

The water preparation and supply system deserves special attention. Although the water is extracted from an artesian well, before use, it undergoes multi-stage filtration. The nursery manager showed the filtration system in a short video. Irrigation is done by fogging, not spraying, which prevents the washing away of nutrients from the trays, which is very important. Irrigation time is usually late evening or early morning, which we could not observe live.

The State Forest Nursery in Central Macedonia is an example of a modern approach to seedling cultivation, focused on using local genetic material and optimizing processes in the context of climate change. It is clear that the nursery model with a closed root system, which works successfully in all neighboring countries, can and should be adopted in Moldova! Of course, with adaptations to local realities and objectives!

It is important that we managed to establish good working relationships, and the Greek side emphasized their openness to share any details that interest us in the future...