The Kaliningrad National Park “Curonian Spit” announced the collection of seeds of the pedunculate oak – a plant very important for the forest ecosystems of the spit. Acorns, which Kaliningraders will collect throughout the region, will be planted on the territory of the national park.
The Curonian Spit is a narrow sandy peninsula washed from one side by the Baltic Sea and from the other by the Curonian Lagoon. The wooded cultural landscape formed by the interaction of sea, wind and human activities is unique.
English oak is important for both flora and fauna of the national park. Its fruits serve as food for animals, and foliage rich in minerals makes a significant contribution to the formation of specific forest soils, creating conditions for the life of many plant species.
Acorns are expected from September 21 to October 3 at the checkpoint at the entrance to the territory of the spit. They must be packed in cardboard boxes. Oak seeds must be dry, free from external damage, so that healthy trees can be grown from them.
As the deputy director of the national park for reproduction, conservation of forests and scientific activities, Alexander Poplavsky, explained, the acorns collected as part of the action will spend the winter on the spit. To do this, they will be buried in the ground in a special way. In the spring, the seeds will be planted in two forest nurseries operating on the territory of the national park. Then, after one or two years, when the acorns turn into full-fledged seedlings, they will take their places in the forests of the spit.
– Most likely, the planting will take place in the root part of the spit, from Zelenogradsk to the village of Lesnoy, – says Alexander Poplavsky. – There the soil is richer, and the seedlings take root well. Each nursery needs 50 kilograms of acorns. But if we collect more, the seeds will not be wasted. They will be eaten with pleasure by hoofed scythes – moose, deer, wild boars.
Employees of the national park ask you to pay attention that only English oak seeds, the original “inhabitant” of the Kaliningrad region, should be collected within the framework of the action. The acorns of the red oak brought to the Baltic States from North America for decorative purposes cannot be planted on the spit.
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