Sometimes natural forest regeneration of riparian forests fails in the Mura-Drava-Danube Biosphere Reserve. In these cases, professionals resort to artificial forest regeneration by using forest reproductive material produced in nurseries.

REFOCuS has produced guidelines that provide a unique insight into the field of forest nurseries producing seedlings of riparian forest tree species. The guidelines are based on the extensive expert interviews with nurseries in and around the Mura-Drava-Danube Biosphere Reserve.

The main topics include:

1. General guidelines for the production of planting material, describing the steps involved in producing high quality planting material - seed source selection, seed collection and handling, growing seedlings, transporting them to the planting site and planting the seedlings in the forest.
2. Protocols for seedling production of target tree species: black alder (Alnus glutinosa (L.)), narrow-leaved ash (Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl.), common ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.), European black poplar (Populus nigra (L.), poplar hybrids and other non-native poplar species, pedunculate oak (Quercus robur (L.)), European white elm (Ulmus laevis Pall.) and field elm (Ulmus minor Mill.).

The guidelines are intended for anyone interested in the production of riparian forest planting material and for practitioners in riparian forest regeneration.

Photo: Poplar seedling prepared for transport (Zoran Novčić)