This November 4 was a joyful symbolic day for the MigFoRest project. The first trees have been planted in Maillen, in the Condroz area in Wallonia (Belgium).
The Royal Forestry Society of Belgium (SRFB), as lead partner of the project, coordinated the planting of 50 seedlings, in 2 cells (clumps) of 25 trees.
Around 600 trees will be planted this year in Wallonia, in the 2 pilot territories that have been identified, namely Condroz and Ardenne méridionale. The first species to be planted are the zean oak (Quercus canariensis) and the Pyrenean oak (Quercus pyrenaica). Their provenances are respectively Andalusia and South-West of France.
This milestone is the starting signal for broader assisted migration plantings with the different project partners in France, Germany and Belgium, from next year. Let us remind that MigFoRest will plant at least 100,000 trees in identified pilot territories.
Enrichment cells
This first planting was the opportunity to organize a study day focused on the cell planting method. Project members who were not yet familiar with enrichment cells in forest openings have been able to see it in practice and also to learn from other, older, cell plantings. Visits to cells in the Soignes Forest (Brussels) and elsewhere in the Condroz area, mixed with natural regeneration, were part of the program. It was an insightful day on the field between the Belgian, French and German project partners.
