As part of the Erasmus + project, Salesian High School students took part with the coordinator, Mrs. Magdalena Szewczyk, in a workshop at the Lesny Gene Bank in Kostrzyca. During the educational classes, information was provided on the activities of the Kostrzyca Forest Gene Bank, the only organizational unit of the State Forests with such a profile, established to protect forest genetic resources.
Students could also use the area of ​​the Arboretum: „Path of the senses”, „Forest dendrophone”, interactive board „Forest sounds – animal sounds”, a shed intended for classes, as well as educational boards located along the paths in various parts of the arboretum.
During the workshops, students learned to identify seeds and leaves of trees.
Since 2009, the Kostrzyca Forest Gene Bank has been harvesting seeds of protected and endangered species of herbaceous plants. The material is collected every year from the most valuable natural areas of our country, such as: national parks, nature reserves or Natura 2000 sites. So far, we have managed to collect a total of 167 species of different conservation status.
All collected seeds are placed in the LBG Kostrzyca cold stores, at low temperatures (-10 ° C or -20 ° C) and cryogenic temperatures in liquid nitrogen (-196 ° C). This method of storage ensures that the material is kept in good condition, thanks to which it can be used in the future to strengthen in situ protection at the sites of the species in question.