site.btaSix Old Trees Acquire Protected Status

Environment and Water Minister Manol Genov declared six old trees as protected, his ministry reported on Tuesday.

Two of the trees are approximately 300 years old. One of them, an English oak (Quercus robur) with a stem circumference of 4.4 m, is located in Galabovo, in the south-central region of Plovdiv, and the other one, a common beech (Fagus sylvatica), with a stem circumference of 4.8 m, is in Apriltsi, in the north-central region of Lovech. The proposals to declare them protected were submitted by the respective municipal governments.

The village of Stoikite in the mountainous Smolyan Region, South Central Bulgaria, is home to three of these old trees. Two of them are of the species European spruce (Picea abies); one is about 220 years old and has a stem circumference of 3.45 m, and the other one is 200 years old and has a stem circumference of 3.05 m. The third tree in Stoikite is a common beech (Fagus sylvatica); it is approximately 140 years old and has a stem circumference of 2.1 m. They were proposed for protected status by the Shiroka Laka state-owned forestry company.

The list is completed by a black poplar (Populus nigra) in Belene, Pleven Region, North Central Bulgaria, which is about 80 years old and has a stem circumference of 5.6 m. It is within the boundaries of the Persina Nature Park. The proposal to declare it protected came from the park management.

Protected status implies a ban on uprooting, felling and trimming the trees, breaking their branches, damaging their stems and performing any other activities which could lead to their destruction, damage or physiological impairment.

The Environment and Water Minister's order is to be promulgated in the State Gazette, after which the six trees will be registered in accordance with the Biological Diversity Act and officially designated as "vekovni" (about and over a century old).

The timely protection of old and otherwise remarkable trees is one of the priorities of the Environment and Water Ministry. They often stand out for their size and form, and many of them have survived the passage of time and the impact of the elements thanks to the engagement and the public consciousness of the local communities, the press release said.