We have completed the SUPERB pilot project, part of a broader European initiative. The project was dedicated to the ecological restoration of forests, and was coordinated by the European Forest Institute (EFI). Within the project, Romania was represented exclusively by our activities, which covered the restoration of 200 hectares of artificial spruce forests (monocultures) and contributed to the generation of important research and monitoring data sets by European specialists.
S.U.P.E.R.B. – Systemic solutions for upscaling of urgent ecosystem restoration, financed by the European Commission HORIZON 2020 programme, brought together 36 entities from 16 countries and tested, for the first time in Europe, modern solutions through which forest ecosystems in poor condition can be brought to a favourable state that is adapted and more resilient to climate change.
S.U.P.E.R.B. results in Romania: 87,200 saplings planted and important mountain areas restored
In the Făgăraș Mountains, Foundation Conservation Carpathia carried out ecological restoration works on 200 ha of spruce monocultures, creating favourable conditions for the installation of 52,000 fir, beech, and maple saplings, the natural species of the area, under the canopy. Also, in older plantations another 27,200 saplings were planted in order to complete and diversify the planting compositions aiming to bring back forests similar to natural ones.
Experiments were also carried out to restore a transition zone between forest and alpine meadow by planting 2,900 mountain pine, juniper, and Swiss stone pine saplings. Work continued to improve the conservation status of alder galleries on the upper reaches of the Dâmbovița Valley, with 16,000 white alder and goat willow saplings being planted.
“SUPERB allowed us to test, alongside 36 European entities, ecological restoration solutions adapted to climate change and realities on the ground. We combined practical interventions in the forest with modern research techniques—from LIDAR scans and DNA analysis to ecosystem evolution simulations—and the results helped European specialists outline case studies and concrete tools that other forest managers and owners in Europe can use,” – says Mihai Zotta, Conservation Director at Foundation Conservation Carpathia.
Field research using advanced technologies that are rare in Romania: LIDAR, 3D scanning, DNA analysis, and soil studies
The project in Romania had an extensive scientific component. Teams from several European countries carried out LIDAR and 3D scans of the forest to accurately assess the structure of forest ecosystems; DNA analyses to determine the diversity of insect species; and soil analyses to measure carbon sequestration and ecosystem quality. We were surprised to find, for example, that more carbon is sequestered in the soil of Romanian forests than in the forest soil of some Western European countries. This is clear evidence that we have valuable natural forests in our country, with a natural historical evolution compared to other, more anthropized areas of the European continent.
The data collected in Romania will be integrated into European reports on the evolution of forests undergoing reconstruction.
Workshops with over 80 participants and direct transfer of expertise
In order to share the data obtained with directly interested stakeholders (forest owners and managers in the public and private sectors, as well as students in the fields of forestry, biology, and ecology) and to facilitate the replication of the solutions tested in the project, Foundation Conservation Carpathia organised six workshops dedicated to ecological restoration, held between December 2023 and November 2025. The events brought together over 80 participants, from teachers and students to specialists in forestry, research, NGOs, and representatives of local authorities. The workshops aimed to transfer the solutions tested in the project to administrators and communities and to illustrate hands-on how they can be applied in Romanian forests.
S.U.P.E.R.B. has generated two key tools at European level, which are also directly useful for Romania: the interactive portal forestknowledge.eu , which brings together case studies from the project and provides administrators with a practical guide for choosing the right forest species for each area, and a virtual exchange market through which ecological restoration projects can more easily identify donors and providers of specialised services.
