PLANFORLAB: Technical trip to the Basque Country and Aquitaine
Within the framework of the project PLANFORLAB, Network of laboratory forests with improved plant to increase resilience and production in conifer forests, a dozen technicians and researchers from the operational group made a trip to the French Landes to learn about various experiences with conifer plantations in experimental forests. On behalf of the Galician Forestry Association, Francisco Dans and Julio Ruiz participated in this activity.
Previously, a technical seminar took place in the Basque Country and also a visit to the laboratory plant that will be installed in this region as well as in Galicia and Castile and León.
In the French Landes, the forest experimental unit of the INRAE (National Institute for Research on Agriculture, Food and Environment) located in Pierroton was visited. In this center, the INRAE has large forest areas with different experimental devices, including the platform Xylosylve which, among others, comparatively evaluates eight forestry itineraries for wood and biomass production. During this visit, the operational group was particularly interested in the different equipment and systems for monitoring biological, biogeochemical and biophysical data that are continuously collected from these ecosystems.
In Pierroton, experiments on genetic improvement of ., comparisons of provenances and inter-provenance hybridizations, especially oriented towards seeking the highest quality of trees and sustainability in the face of climate change risks.
To complete the trip, a visit was made to the Forelite forest nursery of the forestry services cooperative Alliance Forêts Bois, which specialises in improved Pinus pinaster and other conifers, producing up to 20 million plants a year.
This trip of the operational group to France was truly productive and interesting, providing the PLANFORLAB project with experiences that will allow it to improve the design of the laboratory forest network in the three regions of the project: Galicia, Castile and León and the Basque Country.
The PLANFORLAB project is part of the Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural Policy (PEPAC) 2023-2027, financed 80% by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) of the European Union and 20% by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA). The Directorate-General for Rural Development, Innovation and Agro-Food Training (DGDRIFA) is the authority responsible for implementing the aforementioned aid. Total project budget: €599,134.22. Total grant: €599,134.22.
