Suhl (dpa/th) - Due to the drought this year, the Thuringian State Forestry Agency expects only an average seed harvest. It could be an estimated 12 to 15 tons of seeds from coniferous and deciduous trees, said the seed specialist at the Thuringian State Forest Agency, Ira Simon, of the German Press Agency. "In May and June we still had hopes for a very good harvest."
According to Simon, however, three forest stands had to be abandoned for the harvest in the meantime, since the cones on the trees had shriveled and dried up and therefore had not produced any seeds. This affected coastal firs near Bad Salzungen and Douglas firs near Paulinzella and in Eichsfeld. In Thuringia, between ten and 30 tons of seeds are harvested annually, mainly for their own forestry needs.
To do this, up to twelve cone pickers climb into the treetops on behalf of the State Forestry Institute in order to harvest the seeds for new plants. The main season for cone pickers is from August to October.
