A pest was introduced to the Sochi area along with plants as part of the preparations for the 2014 Olympics. As a result, from 2012 to 2015, the box tree moth destroyed almost all plantations of the relict, endangered Colchis boxwood, a plant that survived the Ice Age almost two million years ago. After the pest infestation, 99% of the unique trees died.
In early 2022, the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and personally the Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of Russia, Alexander Kozlov, made every effort to lift the legislative ban on the use of plant protection products. A list of preparations that can be used in specially protected natural areas was determined, and the legislative ban on their use was lifted. Thus, from the first half of 2022, we were able to protect boxwood with plant protection products. This yielded such positive results that in 2024 we did not have to treat boxwood against the moth. In natural conditions, the undergrowth of the aboriginal Colchis boxwood has been preserved, and as a result, the chances of the natural restoration of boxwood in the future have significantly increased, the press service of the Caucasus Reserve reported.
To restore the population of the unique Colchis boxwood in Sochi, a special nursery was created. Today, it contains 30 thousand seedlings of the plant, grown from seeds collected by forestry teams in a specially protected natural area.
Since 2020, more than 22 thousand trees have been planted in the wild. The restoration of boxwood will take decades and centuries. In a year, the plant gains only 10-15 centimeters in height, and its natural maturity is reached after 500-600 years.
Blogs
