The Bihor Forestry Directorate has modernized its nursery in Sacueni, established in the 1980s, through a RON 2.435 million worth of project financed through the NRRP. The investment includes a containerized seedling production facility, one of the few of its kind in Romania.

Director of the Bihor Forestry Directorate Teodor Suciu explained on Tuesday that the nursery covers about 7.6 hectares and has been in operation since 1980, with buildings dating back to 1985. 'There was need for re-engineering and serious investment. We gladly took the opportunity to attract European funds for forestry nurseries. In February 2024 we signed a contract with the Ministry of Environment for RON 2.4 million, with a 10% contribution from us, which helped greatly,' he said.

The containerized seedling production will begin in spring 2026. The new system halves the production cycle to one year, reduces maintenance costs, and increases productivity. On 0.45 hectares, about one million seedlings could be produced annually, compared to 300,000 per hectare in traditional fields, said Suciu.

According to the funding guidelines, the nursery must remain functional for at least five years and provide at least 50% native species such as oak, durmast, cherry, and maple. It will serve both Bihor's reforestation needs and, on request, other forestry directorates.

Engineer Mircea Faur noted: 'We believe this is the largest containerized deciduous tree nursery in the country that is not under greenhouse cover. The trays are kept outdoors for a year, which reduces maintenance, prevents weeds, extends the planting season, and accelerates vegetation.'

The modernization project focused on four priorities: securing water sources, purchasing machinery and equipment, sorting forest seeds, and establishing the most advanced containerized seedling nursery. Two wells 25m deep were drilled, a pre-heating basin and modern irrigation systems were built. The purchased equipment includes a tractor, a reversible plough, a disc harrow, soil cultivator, seeder, sprayer, rotary tiller, and shredder. For seed orchards of larch and spruce, a seed-wing removal and sorting machine and a refrigerated container were added.

The centerpiece of the project is the containerized nursery: trays with 30 cells are filled with soil and seeds using specialized equipment (peat mixer, tray filler, perlite covering and watering system). Hundreds of trays are then moved outdoors under a modern vapor-based irrigation system.

'This is the largest reforestation investment in our forest district. We are often accused of only cutting forests, but we also establish them. Our staff is trained to care for forests, and this is visible in the area. Although we are one of the smallest districts, we are among the most profitable relative to staff numbers,' said Florin Taut, head of the Sacueni Forest District.

The total project value is RON 2,435,014, of which RON 1,353,652 have already been received, with the remainder to follow. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Eugenia Pasca; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)