During September, CERTH team organized meetings with stakeholders in order to arrange the details about the replication activities of cocoon plantations. More specific CERTH visited the following stakeholders: Forest Department for Protection and Forest Management of Regional Unit of Kozani, the Agricultural Cooperation of Aromatic and Medicinal plants of Kozani, local farmers, municipality of Kozani and PPC.
In specific Mr Tsimplinas from Forest Department for Protection and Forest Management of Regional Unit Kozani expressed his interest for the replication activities for reforestation. During the visit at the facilities Agricultural Cooperation of Aromatic and medical plants, CERTH team informed Georgios Kasapidis about the requirements of the replications activities. They concluded to proceed to the cocoon trials, especially with oak trees in forest areas in cooperation with the Forest Department of Kozani in order to protect soils from soil erosion. Moreover, Mr Papadelis from CERTH visited the agronomist Haris Papadopoulos (expert in walnut plantations). During the meeting, the discussion centred on the use of cocoon technology in walnut plantations. He expressed its willingness to participate in replication activities in cooperation with local farmers. In addition CERTH team met the deputy mayor of Municipality of Kozani Mr Giannis Grigoriadis who is responsible in environmental issues. During their meeting they discussed about the project’s replication activities and the possibility of Municipality of Kozani taking part in trees plantation with cocoon technology in cooperation with local farmers, schools etc. Finally CERTH team, visited PPC facilities, in order to organize the next plantation in their area. The successful results for the first two plantation periods, especially for the Macedonian oak is the main pillar for the replication activities in the area of PPC.
