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Update #10 / October 25, 2021

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Our last big task of 2021 was to select the correct planting material and its supplier for the autumn planting. We had a list of potential suppliers and we wanted to evaluate each of them (their material and nursery) to select one we will work with.

It was important for us to have a transparent process and to establish a personal connection with each nursery and the future supplier.

Summary & Material we plant

For 2021 planting we decided to combine 2 year old planting material from the suppliers in Burrel, Fushë-Krujë and Korçë. You can read detailed information about each supplier below.

The material from all three suppliers satisfies (or exceeds) required standards, is in good health, certified and the price is within our budget.

We decided against planting trees from Kukës due to missing a phytosanitary certificate for the saplings.

We decided against planting the 3 year old saplings because the trees spent a (relatively) long time growing in much lower altitude and are used to very different climate comparing to Lurë. This would make it difficult for the trees to get acclimatised and could cause higher mortality rate.

Table below sumaries the key information and our decision:

Supplier	Kukës	Burrel		Fushë-Krujë		Korçë
Age	2	2	3	2	3	1
Origin	AL	SLO	SLO	AL	AL	AL
Meets standard	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Certification	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Price ^{(incl. 20% TVS)}	€0.9	€1	€1	€1	€1	N/A
Suitable	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes
Buying ^(pcs)	0	1 000	0	1 000	0	594

The requirements

Planting material used for reforestation (especially in NP) must pass minimal requirements set by the governing body (usually government) for the specific area where reforestation takes place. In our case this standard is set by the AKZM and AdZM Dibër.

Material requirements

The location where we plant determines the species and restrictions of the planting material. The Lurë National Park is divided into 3 zones of protection. Within the highest protected zone (from the altitude of the lakes and above), only trees from the same altitude and originating from the Lurë area can be planted. In the lower protection zones these restrictions are more relaxed.

Our planting area A13 is in the least protected zone of the Lurë national park at the altitude of 1320 m asl and the standard for the material is as shown in the table below:

Pinus Nigra	Seedling	Sapling	Sapling
Age	≤ 1 year	2 years	3 years
Height above ground	8—14cm	15—25cm	26—35cm
Length of main root	12—20cm	12—20cm	15—20cm
Thickness of the root neck	≥ 3mm	≥ 4mm	≥ 5mm

Supplier requirements

There is required documentation which needs to be provided by the supplier. The Phytosanitary certificate (example) provides information about origin of the material (or seeds for the material). Certificate also indicates if the material has been chemically disinfected and how.

Additionally we like to see the company documentation (registration, operation procedures, website) and payment terms & conditions.

The process

We visited each of them to see the nursery, material and meet the staff. We measured the trees in the nursery which have been offered to us, checked their health as well as packaging and overall conditions in the nursery.

We asked for a sample from each age group so that we can compare the samples and consult with our advisors.

The suppliers

Kukës

Nursery at 330m asl with capacity of ~25 000 saplings. Seeds and material are from the local area. At the time we visited, the material was without a phytosanitary certificate.

Price per sapling: 110 ALL (incl. 20% VAT)

Material

Pinus Nigra, 2 years
containerised saplings
uniform growth across saplings
18—21cm height above ground
4—6mm root neck

Burrel

Lurimi Sh.p.k nursery at 290m asl with capacity of ~250 000 saplings. Well organised and maintained nursery providing several species and material ranging from seedlings to 5, 6 year old trees.

Pinus Nigra seeds imported from Slovenia, material has been germinated and grown in the nursery. Material is accompanied with the phytosanitary certificate.

Price per sapling: 120 ALL (incl. 20% VAT, regardless the age)

Material I

Pinus Nigra, 2 years, containerised
saplings growth with some variability
32-41cm height above ground
8-11mm root neck

Material II

Pinus Nigra, 3 years, containerised
saplings growth with some variability
55-75cm height above ground
12-15mm root neck

Fushë-Krujë

Xhepi Sh.p.k large nursery at 110m asl with huge capacity. Well organised and maintained nursery providing several species and material ranging from seedlings to 5, 6 year old young trees. The nursery has an ISO 9001:2015 (Quality management systems) certificate.

Pinus Nigra seeds are collected in the Qafshtama National Park, material has been germinated and grown in the nursery. Material is accompanied with the phytosanitary certificate.

Price per sapling: 120 ALL (incl. 20% VAT, regardless the age)

Material I

Pinus Nigra, 2 years, containerised
uniform growth across saplings
12—15cm height above ground
5—6mm root neck

Material II

Pinus Nigra, 3 years, containerised
variable growth across saplings
70—100cm height above ground
15—20mm root neck

3 year, large packaging for root development

Korçë

Krora Sh.p.k nursery at 180m asl with large capacity seedlings and saplings. Well organised and maintained nursery providing material for large scale reforestation after the infrastructure projects (hydro power plants, roads, etc…) are completed.

Pinus Nigra seeds are from the Voskopojë area, the material has been germinated and grown in the nursery. Material is accompanied with the phytosanitary certificate.

Price per seedling: we received 594 seedlings as a donation

Material

Pinus Nigra, 1 year, bare-root packaging
uniform growth across saplings
9—11cm height above ground
3mm root neck

On behalf of the whole team,
Pavel