Debrecen4U
March 3, 2025
Small forest to be created from saplings and shrubs planted in Tócóvölgy
Debrecen has been enriched with a new small forest.
On the 1st of March, the National Tree Planting Day, the organizing committee of the Junior World Figure Skating and Ice Dance Championships, in collaboration with the municipality, planted 160 saplings and shrubs in Tócóvölgy.
The small forest not only commemorates the international tournament but also meets a demand from the local community.
The saplings were planted in the area behind the Ice Hall (Jégcsarnok) following the Japanese Miyawaki method, which is designed to create small forests in urban environments in a shorter time than usual. The ambassadors of the Junior World Figure Skating and Ice Dance Championships, the Olympic silver medalist ice dance duo Krisztina Regőczy and András Sallay, and two-time junior world silver medalist ice dancer Nóra Hoffmann also helped with the planting.
“I found many similarities between my daily life as a coach and tree planting, as we gather many children in a small space during training. Some will stay until the end. We try to create miracles in three years and accelerate the process so that the children have as much success as possible,” Nóra Hoffmann said.
160 saplings and shrubs were planted, including oak, wild pear, high ash, and Tatar maple. The green program was intentionally scheduled for March 1.
“The last day of the world championships is also Hungary’s national tree planting day, and the 1st of March is the first day of calendar spring. It’s fitting to plant trees now,” Lajos Kósa, president of the Hungarian National Skating Federation, stressed.
The small forest was planted next to the recently built pedestrian bridge that connects Tócóvölgy and the Fészek residential park.
“This process started from the residents’ request for some green investment or green development. Now the initiatives have practically converged: the tree planting program, the international skating world competition, and the needs of the residents of Debrecen,” Deputy Mayor Diána Széles pointed out.
The junior world championships are the 50th such sports event in Debrecen, organized with the involvement of the municipality and the Debrecen Sports Center.
“I think it’s important to show young people the social responsibility that is manifested even in such a tree planting. Let’s pay attention to ourselves, the environment, and set a good example for those around us,” András Becsky, managing director of the Debrecen Sports Center, emphasized.
The newly planted small forest consists of 18 native tree species and six shrub species. The 10 Million Trees community provided the plants, with their representative, Imola Bereczk, assisting in the Debrecen planting. András Varga and János Sánta, municipal representatives of Tócóskert and Tócóvölgy, also helped with the work.
Source and photo credit:debrecen.hu
