Saxony relies on certified "care specialists" for the maintenance of orchards. This is because orchard keepers are also essential for the protection of species, according to the Landesstiftung Natur und Umwelt (LaNU). In Ostritz, further graduates of a corresponding training course have now received their certificates - a total of 69 people have been trained since the end of 2023. The courses are offered by the Landesstiftung in cooperation with the International Education Center (IBZ) St. Marienthal.
According to the foundation, the qualification gives owners and users of orchard meadows access to state funding via the Saxon "Natural Heritage" directive. This can be used to support individual nature conservation projects and the maintenance of fruit trees. LaNU recommends that public and private landowners only allow certified orchard keepers to maintain orchard meadows in future. In the courses, they are trained, among other things, to prune young fruit trees, trees in the yield stage and old trees professionally.
