The Ekopolis Foundation has completed the first nationwide professional monitoring of community tree planting projects in Slovakia. Over a four-month period, experts inspected thousands of trees across 204 planting sites to assess how they have developed over the years, identify what works well, and determine where improvements are needed. The findings show that community-led volunteer tree planting projects are highly successful in most cases and often achieve a quality comparable to plantings carried out by professional contractors.
The Ekopolis Foundation launched its Planting the Future initiative in 2021 to support community tree planting projects across Slovakia.
“Four years after launching the programme, we felt it was the right time to evaluate how the plantings were performing, what condition they were in, which approaches had proven successful, and whether any aspects of the programme should be adjusted,” says Daniela Mrázová, Programme Manager of Planting the Future.
The objective of the nationwide monitoring was to evaluate the long-term success and sustainability of supported planting projects. It represents the first comprehensive assessment of two major tree planting grant programmes over several years.
Between May and September 2025, the Ekopolis Foundation conducted field inspections of supported planting sites, physically assessing 204 individual planting projects comprising more than 8,600 trees.
“Within the Planting the Future programme, we visited and evaluated 104 supported projects. In addition, we inspected 100 planting projects funded by the Tipsport Foundation through its Supporting Slovak Orchards and Plant a Tree for Your Club programmes,” explains Milan Hronec, Programme Manager at the Ekopolis Foundation and a tree planting specialist.
The evaluation focused on key factors affecting tree establishment and long-term growth, including overall tree condition, staking, watering basins, mulching, protection against wildlife damage, browsing, weed control, and crown pruning.
Overall Tree Condition
The primary indicator of planting success was the overall condition of the trees.
An impressive 76% of all monitored trees were assessed as being in excellent or satisfactory condition. The assessment considered overall vitality, foliage quality, crown condition, and general health.
“We attribute this high proportion of healthy, well-established trees primarily to the fact that both programmes support committed volunteers who genuinely care about their plantings. They invest not only in planting itself but also in long-term aftercare, contributing their skills, experience, time, and energy. This commitment appears to be the key factor behind the quality and long-term success of these planting projects,” says Milan Hronec.
Quality of Tree Staking
The monitoring evaluated the functionality, suitability, and technical condition of tree staking.
More than half of the planting sites met the required standards. However, staking was also identified as the area requiring the greatest number of improvements. The most common issues included unsuitable fastening materials, incorrectly attached tree ties, and leaving bamboo nursery stakes in place after planting.
Watering Basins
More than 40% of planting sites received an average rating.
The main issue was not the absence of watering basins but rather their incorrect construction, which reduced their effectiveness.
Mulching Quality
Mulching quality was generally lower than expected.
Its effectiveness was strongly influenced by the presence of properly constructed watering basins and by the involvement of professional experts during planting.
The most commonly used mulching materials included wood chips, bark mulch, straw, cut vegetation, and grass clippings. The most frequent shortcoming was an insufficient mulch layer.
Protection Against Wildlife Browsing
Protection against browsing damage was rated as good or very good at most planting sites.
The most effective solution proved to be welded galvanized wire mesh with mesh openings of 5–10 × 5–10 cm, a height of 100–200 cm, and secured to three supporting stakes.
Wildlife Damage
The monitoring assessed three types of wildlife damage:
- browsing of shoots,
- antler rubbing on trunks,
- girdling of the rootstock.
In several locations, wildlife pressure was extremely high, with animals returning to newly planted trees immediately after planting—even where fencing and electric barriers had been installed.
Weed Control
Weed infestation was closely linked to mulching quality and had a significant negative impact on tree vitality.
Mechanical mowing also caused bark damage to young trees in some cases.
The most effective solution proved to be a combination of coconut fibre mats and a sufficiently thick mulch layer.
Crown Pruning
Two major issues were identified:
- purchasing nursery trees with poorly formed crowns (primarily the responsibility of suppliers),
- missing or improperly performed pruning, particularly in fruit trees.
Community Tree Planting Works
The monitoring confirms that community tree planting projects are highly effective, with three out of four trees in excellent condition.
The quality of community-led planting projects is comparable to that of projects implemented by professional contractors.
The highest success rates were achieved where professional expertise was available during planting. At the same time, the results clearly demonstrate the importance of actively involving local residents in both planting and subsequent tree care. A personal connection to newly planted trees consistently proves to be the strongest guarantee of their long-term survival.
Community tree planting therefore delivers not only environmental benefits but also strengthens volunteering, civic engagement, and local communities.
The Ekopolis Foundation, organiser of the Planting the Future initiative, gratefully acknowledges the support of its General Partner, GLS General Logistics Systems Slovakia, as well as all financial partners supporting both the initiative and individual planting projects.
The Monitoring 2025 project was made possible thanks to the support of the Tipsport Foundation, the programme’s partner for professional tree care.
The full monitoring report and the “Examples of Good Practice” video series are available below.
