Green Arteries: Reviving Czech landscapes with bio-corridors
19/02/2024 - 08:36
Bio-corridors are being planted throughout the Czech Republic as a measure to prevent wind erosion. Until the period following World War II, Czechoslovakia was characterized by privately owned farms. However, with the advent of communist rule in 1948, the government transitioned to a planned economy, leading to the nationalisation of approximately 95% of the land. This shift saw farms and woodlands reorganized into large agricultural expanses. Consequently, the elimination of hedges and small woodland areas, which previously segmented the private farms, led to significant soil erosion.
In 1990, the Czechoslovak government initiated the planting of the first "bio-corridors" between these expansive farmlands. This effort was aimed at preventing soil erosion and establishing sustainable habitats for pollinators, insects, and bird species.
FLORSTYL s.r.o. undertook the construction of bio-corridors 8 and 9 on behalf of the Czech Republic's State Land Office in the Velké Bílovice region of Moravia. The company is renowned for its commitment to creating living green spaces, with a particular emphasis on enhancing the ecological function of landscapes, revitalizing public spaces and parks, improving water retention in the landscape, developing family gardens, and restoring forests.
Engineer Pavel Okénka of FLORSTYL s.r.o. shares insights on the project:
"We are currently at bio-corridor 9, spanning an area of 4 hectares. Here, we have planted 2,400 trees representing 10 different species and 13,000 shrubs across 9 species. The layout includes three bands of trees and shrubs, interspersed with areas where we have sown wildflower meadows.”
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Some of the plants, shrubs and trees planted in bio corridor 9: Lonicera xylosteum, Cerataegus monogyna, Cornus sanguinea, Ligustrum vulgare, Acer platanoides, Tilia cordata and Quercus robur. |
The agreement encompasses both the establishment of bio-corridors and their subsequent upkeep. FLORSTYL s.r.o. commenced the fencing operations in the summer of 2021, with the planting phase reaching completion in early October of the same year. To prepare the site, plant holes were dug with an auger and 20g of TerraCottem soil conditioner was added to each plant hole. The three-year maintenance agreement is set to conclude in the autumn of 2024.
“We used TerraCottem in order to reduce our maintenance cost. A project like this would need 10 irrigation rounds. With TerraCottem we reduced it to 6. This allowed us to allocate staff to other planting projects.”
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Pavel Okénka (left) from FLORSTYL s.r.o. in charge of building the corridor and Martin Vodák of Česko kvete MV s.r.o., TerraCottem distributor in the Czech Republic and Slovakia since 1998. |
“Beyond the savings in maintenance, TerraCottem plays a crucial role in ensuring successful plant establishment. In similar projects, we might typically expect up to a 15% loss in plantings. However, with the use of TerraCottem, we've managed to reduce this loss to nearly zero in the bio-corridors we've established. Even in cases where TerraCottem isn't specified, we use it to lower our maintenance costs. For us TerraCottem is a guarantee that plants will establish, survive critical periods and grow well.”
“Despite the challenge of finding sufficient root-balled plants and trees of high quality, as opposed to those with bare roots, I find immense satisfaction in working on projects like these. They are straightforward to implement and rewarding, as we play a significant role in restoring biodiversity.”
More information about Florstyl?
FLORSTYL s.r.o.
nám. Svobody 362
686 04 Kunovice, Czech Republic
T: +420 601 243 361
E: info@florstyl.cz
W: www.florstyl.cz
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