First Urban Mini Forest to Be Planted in Novi Sad – Experts from Faculty of Sciences Select Location

The experts from the Department of Biology and Ecology of the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Novi Sad have come to the idea of introducing the concept of mini forests, with the aim of improving the state of the living environment in the territory of Novi Sad, protecting the values of nature and mitigating the climate change.

– In the period of intense air pollution, especially in the plains area of Serbia and the urban areas, it is necessary to find adequate solutions to this problem, in addition to the control and sanctioning of the polluters. One of the more efficient solutions are structured communities such as urban forests, which release extremely high quantities of oxygen during the photosynthesis process, thereby contributing by not just improving the quality of the air, but also preserving the biodiversity – said Mirjana Cuk, an assistant professor at the Faculty of Sciences.

Mini forests in urban areas entail thickly planted forests, using the Miyawaki method (one of the most efficient methods for a fast formation of a forest on degraded land), where, in addition to trees, shrubs, but also herbaceous plants, are planted.

Special attention is paid to the variety of the species and their interrelations, which often mimic precisely the kinds of relations that have been established spontaneously, in the nature.

The task of the project is to set the first foundations for this manner of planning green surfaces and to provide a precise proposition in terms of varieties, with the exact ratio for concrete plants, for the purpose of a successful forming of the first mini urban forest in Novi Sad.

– The concept of mini urban forests is a relatively new idea in the urban areas of Europe. In Serbia, as in the region, no mini urban forest has been established so far. When introducing this concept, it is important to adhere to certain standards. The aim is to give preference to autochthonous varieties and avoid allergens and invasive plants, so in the case of Novi Sad, advantage would be given to the varieties which naturally occur in the area of the Pannonian Plain – explains Cuk, who is currently in the Czech Republic, at Masaryk University, where she is working on a postdoctoral project with the topic of the analysis of the diversity and vulnerability of the sand vegetation of the whole Europe.

Based on the available data, such as the climate parameters, the analysis of the existing city infrastructure and the land parameters, the yard of the old Elementary School “Dusan Radovic” in Klisa has been selected as the location for the forming of the first mini urban forest, in Novi Sad, but also in Serbia.

– We visited some of the locations with structured forest communities which have similar habitat conditions and the varieties with similar ecological preferences, and then we formed the base of the varieties which, in various combinations, could comprise mini urban forests. The remaining activities entail more on-site visits, so that we would have a final proposition of the autochthonous plants, suitable for designing a mini forest on the selected terrain – points out Mirjana Cuk.

After a one-year realization, Mirjana says that the project could further develop in the direction of the implementation of the obtained results, as well as a continuous monitoring of the development of mini urban forests which are formed in the territory of the City.

Novi Sad would thereby be the first city in the country and the region with a successful solution to the current problems of pollution and climate change in urban areas. A further development of the project would entail detailed scientific research of the newly formed ecosystems.

Prirodno matematički fakultet Novi Sad

Faculty of Sciences at the University of Novi Sad

Department of Biology and Ecology of the Faculty of Sciences

Elementary School Dušan Radović Novi Sad

Masaryk University

Mirjana Ćuk