The EPTOCOL project is an ecological project supported by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism with the participation of three institutions: the Institute of Botany AS CR, the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, and Bioforsk, the Norwegian Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research. The aim of the project is to develop and optimise a biotechnol-ogy for the cultivation of fast-growing trees in soils contami-nated by heavy metals around the industrial city of Příbram. The aim is to provide an alternative use of contaminated farmland through the establishment of biomass plantations for the generation of heat and electricity. The project also investigates the potential of partial remediation of the contaminated soils and alleviation of old ecological burdens in the region. Biotechnological procedures include new ecologi-cal practices such as inoculation of trees by symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi or application of organic fertilizers and sorbents. The objec-tive is to establish an innovative technology that could be used for the recultivation of polluted sites and revitalization of degraded ecosystems.