The centennial juniper alley will be improved in the Kenozersky National Park

Kenozersky National Park will take measures to improve the health of the ancient juniper alley on the island of Medvezhy in the Arkhangelsk region.

This alley was laid by local residents around the beginning of the XX century. It consists of 57 junipers of different ages, and in recent years the branches of the most mature trees have begun to turn yellow. "This worried both Kenozer and the park management. After all, the alley has become an integral part of the cultural landscape of the protected area. To establish the reasons for the drying of trees, the park decided to temporarily close access for visitors to the alley," the message on the website of the Kenozersky National Park says.

Oksana Barzut, Associate Professor of the Department of Geographical Sciences of the Lomonosov Moscow State University, was invited to conduct research, who assessed the condition of each juniper, determined the physiological characteristics and degree of damage. It turned out that the fungus "schutte", which affects the needles, is responsible for the yellowing of the trees.

"Oksana Barzut said that in order to completely heal the trees, it is necessary to cut off the old yellowed branches and treat the alley with a special anti-fungus drug. This will help preserve the trees for future generations. The process will not be quick, but it is necessary. In some junipers, the researcher found cracks and cracks through which various pests can penetrate that can harm the wood. They will be covered with a special compound to prevent a potential risk," the national park said.

They noted that such an intervention is absolutely natural - since the alley was originally man-made, it requires human care and control. At the same time, young junipers that have already grown naturally feel good.

"It is very important that thanks to research, we realized that the human factor does not harm the alley. Previously, we assumed that the condition of junipers could be affected by trampling — after all, there was a tourist route. But we found out that the root system of junipers is deep enough underground, so hiking routes can be safely laid near these trees," said Nadezhda Petrova, a researcher at the Department for the Study of Natural Complexes and objects of the National Park.

Activities on tree processing and care of the alley will be held in the spring-autumn of 2024.