Department for Forest Biodiversity & Nature Conservation

Experimental Garden Tulln

date

17.05.2022

Konrad Heino
Lapin Katharina

The adaptation of Austrian forests to climate change and the preservation of tree species diversity require exceptional know-how and a wide variety of methods. In the BFW Experimental Garden Tulln, meticulous techniques are used to produce plants for the conservation and breeding of climate tolerant, rare and site specific tree species.

The team of the Experimental Garden supports numerous research projects and offers multiple services including training. Expertise includes plugwood (graft stick) production, grafting, generative and vegetative propagation for experimental crops, growing seedlings from plantation seed, and plantation maintenance and seed recovery.

Rare tree species

A special contribution to biodiversity lies in the work with rare tree species. Wild service tree, wild pear, wild apple, and European Speierling as well as numerous nut tree species are propagated in the Tulln Experimental Garden and thus preserved for future generations.

Mehrere kleine Schösslinge der Spirke in Töpfen — The Experimental Garden Tulln propagates rare tree species, such as *Pinus* *uncinata*. Photo: BFW

The Experimental Garden Tulln of the BFW was designed more than 40 years ago for performing scientific field trials and cultivating experimental plants. Due to its location in the floodplain, poplar and willow species thrive particularly well here, which is why seed trees for the rare black poplar as well as for a large number of other poplar and willow varieties for commercial biomass production, were established here.

The Experimental Garden team has also acquired extensive knowledge in generative (via seed), vegetative, and xenovegetative propagation of most hard wood species through many years of project collaboration. All plants for the BFW’s generative plantations have been propagated here by grafting, as were a large number of the plants for Austria wide planting trials.