Natural Forests Restoration

Attempts to change the current state of forests, so that they will be closer to the natural state, is one of our primary acitivites. A forest which was created by the nature managed to function without the intervention of mankind for thousands of years and it provided a home for many kinds of plants and animals. A forest which was created by mankind often focuses only on timber production and even today it is grown in a very inappropriate way. Many people still believe that it is possible just to plant small spruces and pines on a meadow and that will make a new forest. But what actually happens is this way only an artifitial imitation of a forest is created and it brings many serious problems.

Original state

Before the first people settled down, most of the country was covered by virgin forests. There were mostly oaks in the lowlands, beeches and firs in the highlands and spruces in the highest peaks. A number of other trees used to grow there as well - lindens, ashes, maples, hornbeams, elms, alders, yews and other species of trees. Crowns of giant firs sticking high above surrounding beeches, a hundred-year-old patulous oaks, tall spruces - that all used to form the landscape of our country. Thousands of small seedlings waited for their chance when the life of some of the forest giants came to an end, the sunshine touched the ground and they could eventually grow and fill in the space. Wolves, lynxes and bears among other animals also used to keep the balance in the nature.

After settlement of man

After people settled down, forests started to disappear and eventually remained on a third of the area as it is today. A growing number of inhabitants and constantly increasing demands on timber led to consecutive devastation of forests, because nobody took care of its restoration. The forest was getting thinner, the trees were disappearing. Approval of Act regarding forests by the ruler Maria Terezia diverted the catastrophe in the 18th century. The laws adjusted logging and especially ordered to afforest the logged out areas again. It worked, but the original assorted forests were unfortunately replaced with spruce and pine monocultures. Erosion of the natural balance was also caused by extermination of big beasts, which resulted in overpopulation of roebucks and deer.The need of changing this situation initiated the foundation of our organisation. We map adult trees of rare and endangered species in the nature, collect their seeds, grow a large range of seedlings of original trees including the rare and protected ones in our own forest nursery, we communicate with forest owners and foresters, plant our own seedlings and last but not least acquire our own forest lands, where we help the nature restore the forests made by man.