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This is the view of the expert, who also said that the main trend is to bring back native species to the Great Forest, but it may also be worthwhile to make friends with non-invasive species.
‘The year 2023 was a refreshing one for the forests of Debrecen, with rainfall ranging from 7-800 millimetres. This meant a lot, especially for young afforestations, because in 2022 most of the fresh plantations dried out and had to be replanted. Now the 1-2 year old regenerations and the replanted areas are in a very promising condition,’ the Director of Debrecen Forestry of Nyírerdő Ltd. said in Debrecen Television’s Evening Close-up program.
At the same time, Lajos Juhász also reported that a bacterial disease has appeared in the 60-80 year old oak trees in the Great Forest which the trees may not survive.
‘We noticed that oaks, which should be the main skeleton of the Great Forest, had started to dry out on one or two to three tens of hectares,’ he said.Those who ran by could already see last year that something was wrong. There’s not much we can do with the very old oaks, so as long as conservation requires, we’ll maintain them.
The program also mentioned that 34 percent of Debrecen’s area is covered with trees and forests, and they are trying to keep this.
No other city in Hungary has such a high percentage of forest cover. It is often said that Debrecen has a better forest cover than Sopron.
Green Codex – for the forests too
‘Every drop of water is a treasure, whether it is in theErdőspuszta, the Great Forest or the Szentgyörgyi Forest,’ Lajos Juhász said and added the Civaqua programme would help a lot.
‘Civaqua is the main principle, but along its route, water retention structures should be built along the Pércsi and Gúthi streams, so that “all the water can stay here”, this is also included in the programme,’ the director pointed out. He added that a useful element of the Green Codex is for the population to capture rainwater and use it for watering, which can also be done in the forest.
‘I have seen that in the Danube region they have created storm water reservoirs in the forest and we may have to step in sooner or later. Sure, it will only help the micro-environment, but then we still need to retain every drop of water for the forests and arable land. The climate scenarios indicate that around 2050 we will be looking very much upwards at the sky to see the rain coming, but it won’t,’ he said.
Lajos Juhász pointed out that the main tendency is to bring back indigenous species, but we should not forget that they need the right growing space. He stressed non-invasive species such as black walnut and red oak should be encouraged, the latter is extremely vital in the Great Forest, for example.
‘The people of Debrecen, who go on a walk, are not discouraged by a stand of red oak or a black walnut, because it has always been part of the Great Forest. Outside in Erdőspuszta, the red oaks are also very beautiful, especially in autumn, and may be more resistant to the white poplars that we have just started planting regularly,’ the Director added.
Lajos Juhász said that the city is practically defenseless from the west, and the green and blue corridors that are included in the Green Code are forward-looking.
‘I am proud that things that are forward-looking always happen in Debrecen. I also think that the western defence lane is very necessary. It is a pity that due to other land ownerships it is not possible to create a real guardrail, because it should be continuous, a big green wreath, just like the Debrecen Great Forest is the green wreath of the city, and there could be such a green wreath from the west,’ he said.
Source: dehir.hu
