Tree girdling in Veliki Rog

One fifth of the concrete conservation actions, planned within the LIFE Kočevsko project, are situated in national forest areas on eastern part of Natura 2000 Kočevsko. In April and May, Slovenian Forest Service employees engaged and mostly concluded implementation of the planned activities. 18 SFS Novo mesto local unit employees under expert guidance of the district forester participated in the action.

On Wednesday, 17 May 2017,  marking of the trees planned for girdling was organized in forests of Veliki Rog (sections 60 and 61 of Straža-Podturn local unit). Girdling is a measure of removing the bark, cambium and few last annual rings, which causes the trees to become weaker and their fitness reduces. Death of individual trees induces gradual improvement of the Eurasian three-toed and the white-backed woodpecker feeding habitat.

News prepared by ZGS, OE Kočevje.