The Greatest World of Oaks
It is imperative to realize the importance of preserving Ukraine’s historically inherent ecosystems, because over time and with the gradual process of urbanization, society has begun to forget and neglect the basic rules of farming.
At the heart of the hazardous processes are deforestation and replacing them with monocultural pine trees plantations. Increasing the average annual temperature, which entails lowering the groundwater level, are the main problems arising from improper forest management. These significantly weaken the trees. As a result, they are less and less able to withstand various pests and diseases, in particular the bark beetle, which has recently started to actively affect the pine plantations of Ukraine.
By planting oaks in monocultural forests, three issues can be solved at the same time: restoration of Ukrainian stands, restoration of oaks stands, and rescue of monocultural forests from extinction.
The Greatest World of Oaks is a three-block project. The first block of the project is aimed at restoring forest plantations that are historically characteristic of the territories of Ukraine, i.e. mixed forests which are mostly filled with a common oak. The second block – eco-educational lectures “DO PLANT”(SADJAY) with master class on growing oaks from acorns at home. A flashmob was launched on social networks, inviting everyone to sprout oak from acorns and plant their seedlings together in the fall of 2020.
Project results
The first block of the project is aimed at restoring forest plantations that are historically characteristic of the territories of Ukraine, i.e. mixed forests which are mostly filled with a common oak. A corporate donor (Arzinger law firm) and 10 volunteers were involved.
Workshops during eco-lecturers were held for 60 students and 7 teachers. Each visitor received a set of “oak expert”, which included all the materials needed for germination of acorns (pot, soil, drainage, 3 acorns, step-by-step instruction).
50 sets of oak expert were transferred to the women’s penal colony in the city of Chernihiv through the NGO “Golden Age of Ukraine”