Premise pentru înființarea unui plantaj de stejar pufos.

The importance of increasing the adaptability of deconstructed forests to climate change scenarios and preserving forest vegetation in the forest steppe zone of Romania requires the promotion of thermophilic and xerophytic species. Of these, pubescent oak (Quercus pubescens) is one of the most suitable species for combating desertification. The necessity to have seeds with superior genetic characteristics, derived from trees adapted to the environmental conditions of the Romanian forest steppe, outlines the general objective of research represented by establishing the first clonal seed orchard for pubescent oak in Romania. The present paper describes the preliminary activities undertaken for the establishment of the seed orchard, starting with the selection of valuable populations, continuing with the identification of plus trees donors of grafted branches, the cuttings actions necessary to stimulate shoots in their crowns and ending with the first action of graft branches sampling. In the forest-steppe area of Bărăgan and Dobrogea (region of south-eastern Romania), 30 plus trees were selected, which will provide grafted branches. They are vigorous, have higher than average growth traits (Dbh, trees’ height), vertical stems, straight, cylindrical, and well developed globular crowns. In order to obtain vigorous grafts, the plus trees were covered with cuttings to stimulate sprouting in the crowns (three stages of intensity: weak, moderate, strong), works carried out one year before the sampling of the graft branches. The production of viable grafts has been closely correlated with the increasing intensity of stimulation cuttings. The sampling of graft branches complied with the condition of being carried out in a period with positive air temperatures, at least 48 hours before the collecting time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]