NEWS

Update 38: Improvements for the Voskopojë tree nursery with Scout group from Saint-Marc, Belgium

Applying a waterproofing paint to greenhouse

When we built our green house in Voskopojë with Albi we managed to apply a protective coat to the structure which protects is from fungi and insects. We didn’t manage to apply the additional waterproofing layer. While the structure handled the 1st year very well we needed to waterproof the wood to make the greenhouse last longer.

For a small team like ours, that is a daunting task especially during the season. All trees needs to come out, the greenhouse roof needs to be removed, paint applied and then all needs to go back. Well, the 28 people strong scout group made the task look almost like an easy one.

Installing a shading for outside section of the nursery

As this year is just a 2nd year of operations, the Voskopojë tree nursery required adding a shading to the outside area which is used for the 2-year-old trees. During the summer months the outside area is exposed to the sun and the trees (especially Beach and Fir) need protection from the direct sun. Additionally, shading also improves our water consumption as the soil is not drying out as fast.

We started working on the shading with Flori a weekend ahead of the scout group arrival. Installing the supporting pols and - honestly - leaving the worst for the scouts (psst). But again, they managed to prepare and install the shading after the greenhouse waterproofing was done in no time.

Fill the drainage canal & earth works for shed

During the winter and spring when we have a lot of rain, we needed to build a drainage canal to prevent the water from flooding the nursery. The canal served well with one small issue, it was deep and cutting the area of the nursery in half. With help of scouts we managed to fill it with stones to retain it’s functionality but also make it safe for the team to move around the nursery.

As the tree nursery grows, there is a lot of material which needs to be stored. We want to build a small storage shed as we have in Lurë to store equipment and keep it dry. The scouts helped us with the preparatory earth works for the shed. We will continue with the shed construction in the next months.

Covering an irrigation pipe

When we installed the irrigation system in Voskopojë, we had to install a pipe which is used to bring water from the water source to the nursery. The pipe was installed on the ground and was exposed to the sun which meant the water coming out of it during the summer was very hot. Considering the pipe is almost 250 m long, it took just under an hour for 28 people to cover it - mind blowing!

What’s next?

The whole team is very grateful to the Scout group from Saint-Marc, Belgium, for their help and support. The Voskopojë tree nursery is now in a much better shape and we are ready for the next season of planting and monitoring.

Thank you Eugénie, Victor, Eleonore, Hugo, Lucy, Thibault, roman, maxime, louis, Charly, Martin, Léopold, Juliette D., Georges, Juliette Scheyven., Juliette Scholler., Manu, Louise, Randal, Quentin, Nathaniel, Solal, Daphné, Samten, Julien, Jeanne, Bruno, Zoé!