Climate Smart Forests Transylvania, Rumania

It is the duty of all of us to take part in building a better world. Climate change and the decrease in biodiversity are global issues that concern many of us. Often, we may face a sense of helplessness, but we can start making small changes.
Our goal is to plant trees - key elements of the ecosystems- writing by this the opening paragraph of a fascinating story in the Transylvanian region of Romania. (Transylvania's name comes from the Latin for "beyond the forest")

Only native tree species are planted, the ones planted can be found in the close proximity of our planting sites.
The native plant species are the ecological basis upon which life depends. The insects that co-evolved with them feed the local birds and other animal species. The complex and resilient ecosystems sustain us. Your trees will create far reaching positive cultural and ecological ripple effects.

We currently operate 2 projects in Transylvania:

Project 1: Reintroduction of the oak species (Quercus sp.) into the Ciuc Basin in the Eastern Carpathians

Prior to the 17th century, oak trees were abundant in this region, but they vanished as a result of human activities such as logging for firewood and the conversion of vast tracts of land for agricultural purposes. The former oak forests were replaced by pastures, hayfields, and cultivated fields.

In the Ciuc intramontane basin, only a handful of isolated specimens remained. Since the sources of propagules (acorns) are no longer in close proximity, recolonization of these lands by the oak (Quercus sp.) species will require human intervention.

The trees will be planted as components of oak groves designed to serve as ecological stepping stones, aiding in the gradual recolonization of the region by oak trees through natural dispersal mechanisms, like jays (Garrulus glandarius) carrying and planting acorns.

In addition to their historical presence in the Ciuc Valley, these tree species hold particular value:
1. Sessile oaks (Quercus petraea) are among the few tree species that will be resistant to the expected effects of global climate change (extended drought periods and milder, dryer winters) in this region and their range will probably expand
2. Oak forests sustain a high level of biodiversity
3. Oak trees are a long-living tree species, storing in their biomass significant amounts of atmospheric carbon sequestered by photosynthesis during the growing seasons.


Project 2: Restoration of wind damaged forests in the Hășmaș Mountains

We are establishing mixed forests in Cheile Bicazului-Hasmaș National Park, comprising European beech (Fagus sylvatica), Silver fir (Abies alba), and Norway spruce (Picea abies).

This initiative aims to enhance the resilience of these newly established forests against the impacts of global climate change, particularly on areas previously affected by wind damage.

The Carpathian Mountains' high-altitude spruce forests (Piceaabies), which currently dominate these areas, are projected to face increased vulnerability due to more frequent extreme weather events such as high winds, heavy snowfall, severe droughts, and extreme heatwaves, all driven by global climate change.

Simultaneously, it is anticipated that exclusively spruce forests will experience the most pronounced impact from climate change in the future. They possess limited resilience to withstand stress caused by factors like drought, extreme weather events such as high-intensity winds, and biotic threats that may thrive in the changing climate (e.g., the spruce bark beetle - Ips typographus). While forests will eventually adapt to these new conditions, the transition to more drought-resistant and heat-tolerant tree species without human intervention is expected to be a very slow process.

The windthrows offer the possibility to introduce slight changes in the composition of the species - mimicking the process of altitudinal migration, where species move to higher or lower elevations in response to changing climate conditions.This will result in an increase in the resistance of forests to changes in climate conditions.

The tree seedlings are going to be planted inside the protected areas, creating forests that will provide habitat for the fauna of the last truly wild forests of Europe.