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Pilot Project to Flood Ash Tree Forest in Bereg Uses Water from the Tisza, Spreads Shallow Layer Over 30 Hectares and Holds 80 Thousand Cubic Meters, Seeking to Recharge Aquifers, Protect Trees and Increase Regional Climate Resilience in the Face of Persistent Drought and Deep Hydrological Changes.
Hungary has implemented an unusual measure to combat drought by flooding a forest of ash trees in the Bereg region, in the eastern part of the country, using pumped water from the Tisza River to create controlled shallow flooding. The initiative aims to restore natural landscape functions, strengthen the soil, and help replenish groundwater levels.
The pilot project is being conducted with the participation of WWF Hungary and water authorities, as part of a larger climate adaptation effort. The strategy is based on the principle that controlled floods can be allies of nature, sustaining ecosystems, reducing water stress, and preparing the region for a hotter and drier future.
Why Flooding Forest Became a Strategy Against Drought
Instead of treating all flooding as a problem, engaged experts advocate that shallow and temporary flooding can have essential ecological functions.
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In landscapes where natural floods have been reduced by human interventions, the soil loses moisture, groundwater levels decline, and forests enter a state of decline.
By flooding the forest in a planned manner, water slowly infiltrates, nourishes the soil, recharges aquifers, and creates more stable conditions for trees and wildlife.
This approach also helps to buffer climatic extremes, making the environment less vulnerable to prolonged dry periods.
The Drought Scenario That Led to the Intervention
The decision to flood the forest in Bereg comes after a severe drought period that affected almost all of Hungary.
The government declared a state of emergency due to a lack of rainfall and authorized immediate water retention measures, allocating about 12 million euros to address water scarcity.
Authorities emphasized that the drought has ceased to be an isolated event and has become a long-term structural challenge, requiring coordinated agricultural, ecological, social, and economic responses.
Water retention in the landscape emerges as one of the priority fronts of this adaptation.
How Water from the Tisza Was Taken to the Forest
To flood the forest of ash trees covering about 30 hectares, water was pumped from the Tisza River to a main irrigation canal.
From there, a temporary dam made of sandbags diverted the flow into an existing secondary canal.
This canal carried the water to the forest area, where it could spread in a controlled manner.
The process did not create a deep layer but instead a shallow inundation designed to favor infiltration without causing structural damage to the ecosystem.
Retained Volume and Flood Depth
According to the authorities involved, the action to flood the forest in Bereg retains approximately 80 thousand cubic meters of water.
The average depth of the layer varies between 20 and 30 centimeters, enough to saturate the soil and benefit the roots without turning the area into a permanent lake.
This temporary flooding helps to protect the trees, stimulate growth, and create new habitats for animal and plant species.
The goal is to reinforce the vitality of the forest in a context of increasing water deficit.
Replenishment of Meanders and Regional Effect
In addition to flooding the forest directly, the plan included the damming of six abandoned meanders of the Tisza River.
These areas received more than 1.5 million cubic meters of water, enhancing the impact of water retention measures in the regional landscape.
This set of actions aims to make Bereg more resilient to climate change by increasing the natural capacity of the territory to store water during critical periods.
Pilot Project and Long-Term Vision
Project leaders emphasize that flooding the forest in this context does not mean conventional irrigation, but an attempt to gradually raise groundwater levels.
The operation is considered a pilot, testing a solution that could be applied more broadly in the future.
To turn water retention into a permanent practice, it will be necessary to invest in supporting infrastructure, adjust roads, obtain consent from neighboring landowners, and align forest management with water goals.
Integration with Public Policies and Local Communities
The project connects to broader programs for drought protection and returning water to the landscape.
Authorities indicate that local communities and farmers view water retention measures positively, as they reduce risks associated with prolonged water scarcity.
By flooding the forest in a controlled manner, the country tests a model transition, moving from a logic focused solely on draining water to one that values the natural capacity of the landscape to store it.
A Change in Mindset About Floods
The experiment in Bereg shows that not every flood represents a disaster.
Well-planned floods can serve as a tool for ecological restoration, strengthening forests, replenishing aquifers, and increasing biodiversity.
Given the increasingly frequent droughts, the decision to flood the forest ceases to be an exception and is seen as a climate adaptation strategy based on the natural dynamics of water itself.
Do you think using controlled floods to flood the forest could become a common solution against drought in other regions of the world?
Nada foi dito sobre o impacto da fauna que habita as tocas no chão, fauna que vive de forma rasteira, mamíferos roedores, marsupiais, insetos, artrópodes, répteis etc. Soluciona uma questão e cria problemas no ecossistema existente pra ter que criar outras soluções: Quais ?
Lendo esses comentários, vi que a maioria só pensa de forma partidaria, colocando política onde não faz sentido algum colocar ela.
O mundo está adoecendo, e as pessoas ao invés de pensarem na preservação da natureza e de seus bens naturais, que inclusive são importantíssimos para a manutenção da vida, pensam apenas nos seus próprios interesses, deixando de lado aquilo que realmente importa.
Talvez quando percebam seu pensamento medíocre, seja tarde demais… .
Vinícius, 18 anos
É no mínimo uma procura de novos caminhos. Acredito que seja um raciocínio lógico e inovador.