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Estonian state forest manager RMK to plant 21 mln trees in 2019

BC, Tallinn, 08.04.2019.Print version
The Estonian state forest manager RMK is to plant altogether 21 mln trees in state forests this year, reported LETA/BNS.

Of the trees to be planted, 10.4 mln will be pines, 8.4 mln firs, 2 mln birches and 150,000 alders, RMK said.


"By investing more in the greater resilience of the plants, it is possible to update a greater area with a smaller number of plants. In order to keep away large pine weevils that endanger young trees, a record 4.5 mln plants protected with natural biowax and glue will be planted this year. For protection against hoofed animals, young plants will be sprayed with natural repellents across 2,500 hectares this fall. These measures enable to plant 3,200 pine plants instead of 3,500 and 1,800 fir plants instead of 2,000 on one hectare," Toomas Vaat, head of the siviculture division at RMK, said.


Over 1,700 people will be given seasonal work during the spring forest planting period at RMK's plant nurseries and in the forest. This year, the entire necessary workforce was for the first time found via a public procurement, during which altogether 180 contracts with companies were signed for forest planting in the state forest.


The region with the most trees to be planted is East-Viru County with 3.3 mln plants, followed by Parnu County with 2 mln and West-Viru County with 1.9 mln plants.


The plan this year also includes supplementing last year's planting areas in connection with last year's extremely dey spring and summer, while damage from large pine weevils will also have to dealt with in some areas. Altogether 2,500 hectares need to be supplemented, for which 2.5 mln plants will be used.


Altogether, RMK will be conducting reforestation on 11,700 hectares this year, with 8,050 hectares of land to be planted on and 300 hectares to be sown on. Altogether 1,800 hectares will be left for natural reforestation, and natural reforestation will be helped along on 1,600 hectares by way of mineralization.


While plants are usually taken to the planting areas by SUV, tractor or ATV, RMK has been taking small trees to hard to reach areas by helicopter for several years already. The plants necessary for updating the state forest are grown by RMK at eight nurseries across Estonia.

In 2018, the forest was deemed updated on a record 9,768 hectares. Ever year, RMK cuts mature forest on 1 percent of state forest land, all cutting areas are updated. The clear cut area of clear cutting is updated over an average of five years, where over 1,000 of 0.5-meter-high firs and 1,500 pines or over 1,500 of 1-meter-high deciduous trees grow per one hectare.

 






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