Slovenian Bee Forage Planting Day 2022

»Day of planting honey plants« 2022 and Slovenian initiative for the whole world to join the project by planting bee forage trees and other plants – Our goal in Slovenia is to plant 2 million bee forage plants by 2030!

To whom it may concern,

Slovenian beekeepers have a high awareness of the importance of clean and healthy natural environment, because we know that even the smallest changes in the ecosystem can quickly affect it, which is felt first by our honey bees and other pollinators. Because of this, the Beekeepers’ Association of Slovenia (ČZS) has decided to take an important step forward and has decided to take initiative for lowering negative environmental impacts due to greenhouse gas emissions, which are produced by all of us and helping pollinators, by planting new bee forage plants and trees. The Beekeepers’ Association of Slovenia has been encouraging the planting of honey trees and plants, among other projects also with a joint project with Slovenian municipalities. Many of them have supported our suggestion to gift the new parents honey trees on the birth of their child. Additionally, we have suggested that municipalities do not mow public meadows and grass until the flowers have finished blooming, with good results. We want our future generations to be able to enjoy the beauty of nature, which is the reason behind our initiative »Day of planting honey plants«. With this project, Slovenian beekeepers will move from words to actions.

We realize that such a project will need, besides strong will and a wish for change, the support of society, as well as the expertise of researchers and experts from the forestry field, which will be generously provided by the Slovenian Forest Service (ZGS). They will provide the necessary expertise for ensuring that the right honey trees will be planted in the right environment, as well as the expert instructions for planting and care of the honey trees. In addition to honey trees, we want to include other bee forage plants in our project, which is why we are happy that many Slovenian Agriculture High Schools have decided to participate, among them: School for Horticulture and Visual Arts Celje, School Center Ptuj, Biotechnical Centre Naklo, Grm Novo mesto - center of biotechnology and tourism and School Centre Šentjur. We will also invite many other organisations to actively participate in our project, among them all Slovenian non-governmental organisations, local communities and municipalities and first and foremost all Slovenian citizens, as each and every one of us can participate by planting a bee forage plant or tree.

However, as we will need autochthone honey tree saplings, such as linden, maple, chestnut and wild apple, pear and cherry trees, for the success of the project, we are glad to announce that the forest tree saplings for the project will be generously provided by the Slovenian Forest Service. We are also happy to announce that other bee forage plants will be provided by donations from numerous other sponsors and donors. Among them is the commercial company BAUHAUS, which will provide one free honey tree for each Slovenian Beekeeper.

»Day of planting honey plants« is the first defined tree planting project in EU that is officially contributing to the EU project »3 billion trees by 2030« and will also contribute to the planned greenhouse gas emission sinks in EU, which will help achieve European climate neutrality. One of the main goals of our project is also to increase bee forage resources in Slovenia, which will help many pollinators as well as honey bees in the future, when their survival will be increasingly more difficult due to climate change. By doing this, we will also help to ensure food stability, since around 70 % of all grown food in the world depends on insect pollination. On "Day of planting honey plants«, Slovenian beekeepers and other interested individuals will be planting bee forage plants in bigger as well as smaller areas: in Slovenian forests, in our gardens, in containers on our balconies, as well as on public surfaces such as parks and elsewhere. With this noble activity, we will take care of our honey bees and other pollinators together and ensure new food sources for their development by planting honey trees and other honey plants.

Slovenian beekeepers are giving an initiative to whole world to support and join our project. Our planet needs to plant new bee forage trees and plant to help save the environment and our pollinators. By doing so we will help to ensure their survival and the subsequent pollination for around 70 % of plants that produce our food.

The heart of our project are not only words, but actions. Therefore, mark the last Saturday in March 2022 in your calendar, when each of us will plant a honey tree or plant and contribute to the bee forage and survival of our pollinators, as well as help preserve our environment for future generations. We wish that this project becomes an annual tradition in all over the world.

Our goal is that Slovenia and the whole world come together on 26th March 2022 to plant as many honey trees and plants as possible.

The Beekeepers’ Association of Slovenia will keep you updated on the activities that will be done as part of the project and the continuation of the project. We believe that all of us can contribute to this initiative by planting a honey tree of plant on March 26th next year – Day of planting honey plants.