J. For. Sci., 2026, 72(10):520-531 | DOI: 10.17221/70/2026-JFS

Irrigation gaps and subsidy readiness in Hungarian forest nurseriesOriginal Paper

Béla Imre Kárpáti ORCID..., Éva Király ORCID..., Tamás Mertl ORCID...

Forest Research Institute, University of Sopron, Sopron, Hungary

Climate change is intensifying pressures on European forest-nursery production, particularly during drought periods, yet no comprehensive national-level assessment of irrigation infrastructure and development needs has existed for the Hungarian sector. This study characterised irrigation infrastructure, willingness to participate in subsidy schemes, and development priorities among responding Hungarian forest tree nurseries, and assessed regional differences and associations among these characteristics. An anonymous online questionnaire was distributed to all 426 registered Hungarian forest nurseries. Over 20 days, 150 valid responses were received (35% response rate). Potential non-response bias was assessed using three complementary methods. Data were analysed with Fisher's exact tests, Cramér's V effect sizes, and binomial logistic regression with multimodel inference ('glmulti') in R. National statistics indicated a heterogeneous nursery production structure: the smallest nurseries (≤ 1 ha) accounted for only 2.5% of the total nursery area but produced 25% of all seedlings. Against this sectoral background, the survey revealed a substantial irrigation gap among respondents, with 40% of responding nurseries reporting no irrigation infrastructure. Overall, 62% of respondents indicated willingness to participate in irrigation-development programmes. Existing infrastructure did not show a strong correlation with subsidy-participation intentions; there was only a minor correlation among some parameters of existing infrastructures and preferred development goals, whereas the multivariable logistic model explained only modest variance (McFadden R² = 0.14; AICc = 119.5). The most frequently requested development components were pump purchases (66%) and water-source improvements, including new wells and water permits (52%). The survey findings indicate substantial unmet irrigation infrastructure needs alongside considerable subsidy interest among respondents, suggesting that targeted public investment could effectively modernise the sector and enhance its climate resilience.

Keywords: climate adaptation; forest nursery sector; Hungary; precision irrigation; subsidy programmes; water management

Received: August 31, 2026; Revised: October 7, 2026; Accepted: October 12, 2026; Prepublished online: October 23, 2026; Published: October 30, 2026  Show citation