The Focşani station was established on February 1, 1962 by Order of the Ministry of Forestry Economy no. 19 of January 8, 1962 with the name of the experimental station for afforestation of degraded lands and the correction of torrents INCEF – Vrancea with headquarters in Boloteşti, Vrancea county.

The organization of the Resort and the establishment of its objectives were particularly concerned by Mr. doc. I.Z. LUPE, member of the Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences. The establishment of this unit was determined by the need to substantiate technical-scientific measures and establish technical solutions regarding the afforestation of degraded lands in the Vrancea area. A priority objective of the resort has been, since its establishment, the provision of technical-scientific assistance to forestry units in the area for the afforestation of degraded lands.

The Research-Development and Experimentation-Production Station is a mixed subunit having in its structure:

• a research team;
• a design-investment collective (development);
• a collective of the National Forest Inventory (IFN);
• Vidra Experimental Base.

The personnel structure of the resort is as follows:

• Research Section: 1 scientific researcher grade I, 2 scientific researchers grade III, 1 engineer;
• Development Section: 1 technological development engineer grade I, 1 technological development engineer, 1 technician grade II, 1 technician grade III;
• I.F.N. office: 1 engineer, 2 technicians.
• Vidra Experimental Base: 7 positions with higher education, 6 positions with secondary education, 15 positions with basic studies (forestry school).

The Research-Development activity is carried out in the cluster intended for the “Silvotechnical” Research Team (E5), having the following research directions and objectives:

• Perfecting the techniques of care, management and regeneration of the arboretums;
• Improving the methods, techniques and technologies of afforestation of degraded lands, creation of protective forest curtains;
• Ecological reconstruction (improvement, restoration) of inappropriate stands or affected by harmful factors;
• The scientific foundation of the development works of torrential hydrographic basins.

Research-Development activities consist of:

• Development of development/consolidation/improvement technologies and methods and techniques for afforestation of different categories of degraded land: eroded; ravenate; sliding; meadows with deficit or excess of water, lands polluted by the metallurgical industry, etc.;
• Determining the evolution trend of stands on degraded lands and establishing their regeneration methods;
• Establishing methods of ecological reconstruction of stands degraded/affected by harmful factors;
• The development of technologies for the installation and restoration of forest protection curtains in the south-eastern area of the country;
• Determination of the hydrological parameters of torrential watersheds and the scientific foundation of their development technologies;
• Establishing the appropriate technologies for the development of torrential hydrographic basins in the area of the Curbura Carpathians and northern Moldova;
• Establishing technologies for designing and rehabilitating forest roads within “Marin Drăcea” National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry;
• Technical assistance regarding the application of silvotechnical works;
• Technical assistance regarding execution works for the correction of torrents, forest roads and forest curtains for the protection of public roads.

The I.F.N office carries out the national forest inventory within the counties of Vrancea, Galați, Buzău, Brăila.

The Vidra Experimental Base ensures:

• sustainable management of the forest fund and application of research results;
• carrying out experiments in the mentioned directions;
• efficient utilization of own production;
• administration of protected areas on the administrative territory of the experimental base;
• provide forestry services.

Infrastructure :

• Equipment and instruments for investigations and measurements: 5 Haglof Mantax Blue forest clubs, 5 Pressler drills, 1 Suunto hypsometer, 2 Vertex IV dendrometers, 1 EC II D Haglof dendrometer, 1 EC II D R Haglof dendrometer, 3 topographic compasses Suunto KB – 14, 1 Leica TC307 total station, 1 GeoXT GPS, 1 Trimble GPS, 1 GLONASS GNSS GPS, 1 620G precision balance, 1 IML-Resi F300 resistograph, 1 IML Micro-Hammer device, 1 BINDER ED oven -S with natural ventilation, 2 tools for measuring surfaces and distances (Excape Area Calculator, DME System);
• 79 experimental areas (211.00 ha) in 5 experimental-demonstration perimeters regarding the amelioration by afforestation of degraded lands and the development of torrents located on the territory administered by the Vidra Experimental Base;
• 6 experimental areas located “in situ“ and equipped with equipment for recording precipitation and runoff from forested slopes (Decagon Meteorological Station, equipped with hydrometeorological sensors);
• over 100 experimental surfaces located in 6 experimental perimeters and about 30 experimental points located in the southeast and east of Romania;
• the Boloteşti nursery intended for the production of forest saplings, with a total area of 1.26 ha.
• 1 selected experimental hazelnut culture;
• 1 selected sea buckthorn experimental culture;
• 1 experimental-demonstration pool.

Research Services:

• Research on water balance in torrential watersheds;
• Development of innovative solutions for the complex management of torrential hydrographic basins;
• Modeling exercises for the simulation of various land management options in torrential hydrographic basins;
• Monitoring of torrent control structures;
• Improvement of technologies and compositions for afforestation of agricultural and forestry lands;
• The development of ecological reconstruction technologies and the regeneration of stands on degraded lands;
• Optimizing the treatment method, forest care and management techniques, management and regeneration;
• Improving the station typology for degraded lands;
• Experiments on new solutions for degraded land and complementary land use;
• Monitoring of forest plantations on degraded lands and their functional efficiency in relation to environmental conditions and silvotechnical works;
• Ecological reconstruction of forest ecosystems affected by harmful biotic and abiotic factors;
• Pedostational studies and substantiation of afforestation solutions for agricultural or forest lands affected by harmful factors.

Development Services:

• Design and technological transfer for afforestation/ecological reconstruction of degraded lands, development of torrential hydrographic basins, construction of protective forest curtains, forest roads, etc.

Address

Str. Republicii, No 7, et. 3, Focșani, Vrancea County, postal code 620018

See map

Telephone/Fax

0237-621541; 0237-230481

E-mail

focsani@icas.ro

Senior researcher I Dr. Constandache Cristinel

Station Director; Head of Research Section

cristinel.constandache@icas.ro

Anastasiu Costică

Project Manager – Development Section

costica.anastasiu@icas.ro

Accountancy

Bercaru Florentina – Chief accountant:

florentina.bercaru@icas.ro

Acquisitions

Aga Valentina – Purchasing Manager

valentina.aga@icas.ro

Vidra Experimental Base

Address

Str. Vidra, No. -, Vidra, Vrancea County, postal code 627415

See map

Telephone/Fax

0237-673019; 0237-673196

E-mail

vidra@icas.ro

Eng. Ivan Virgil

Chief Engineer Experimental Base

virgil.ivan@icas.ro

Accountancy

Popa Lioara – Count

vidra@icas.ro

Acquisitions

Stoica Cătălin – Purchasing Manager

vidra@icas.ro