Dömös - Hungary
Forest restoration and creation
In Dömös, Hungary, between 1 and 3 December 2014, heavy freezing rain severely damaged this oak woodland.




This stand of hairy oak is located in a public forest in the Danube-Ipoly National Park, which covers the hills of Pilis, Visegrád and Börzsöny.
The diversity of this area is unique in Hungary, as it is the meeting point of numerous rivers and hills, and is also classified as a Natura 2000 site. This forest is visited by many hikers and is an important recreational area.
The aim here is to strengthen the vegetation layers in the undergrowth and improve the general plant cover of the stand, turning it into an irregular high forest, paying particular attention to diversity and to species that are not very present on the plot, by encouraging their long-term establishment.
Natural regeneration silvicultural operations take place over several years:
- Removal of degraded trees ;
- Inventory of gaps to be enriched;
- Soil preparation;
- Engrillage to protect the seedlings from the teeth of game, which is very present in the area;
- Enrichment planting: planting to improve the density or diversity of an existing stand or an area where natural regeneration is not present;
- Establishment of a special management system to make the stand more irregular: gradual removal of mature trees and deferred regeneration to make the structure of the woodland more heterogeneous.





