How long will a dead ash tree stand

Professor about the life of lindens, the death of poplars and the dangers of light garlands - Moscow 24, 08/21/2017

August 21, 2017, 00:00

Ecology poplars, who can benefit from the destruction of the forests of the Moscow region from the bark beetle-typographer and what kind of trees are better to plant new microdistricts, which will be visited by settlers under the renovation program? Director of the agro-biotechnological department of RUDN University, Associate Professor Valentin Vvedensky told about this in an interview with m24. ru.

Photo: m24.ru/Yulia Ivanko

– Mature trees over three meters tall (large ones) are planted in the city center. Do you think they will be able to survive?

– It is difficult for trees to take root in the city. After several years of life, they begin to get sick and may die if they are not sent for rehabilitation back to the nursery - to fresh air to recuperate. And in their place, plant a healthy tree of the same breed from the nursery.

In the Soviet Union, a tree was planted in a gassed area, and after some time it was dug up and sent back to the nursery for rest

Trees in the aggressive environment of the city can be saved by constant rotation of plants after a few years. This technology was used in the Soviet Union: a large-sized plant was planted in a gassed urban area, and after some time it was dug up and sent back to the nursery for rest. In his place was planted one that had already undergone recovery. For example, this is how they kept blue spruces near the Kremlin. Unfortunately, we have lost this practice. But I hope that the experts will revive it.

– Can growing in tree tubs be natural?

- Of course, this is not normal for a tree, but it is acceptable. It is important to observe the size of the container and the tree itself. If the container is small, the plant may die. As a rule, not simple trees are grown in tubs, but exotic ones that cannot withstand our climate. Therefore, they need to be removed for the autumn-winter period in a winter garden or nursery, where they are restored and brought back to normal.

“Landing in frozen ground is a common technology”

– In the spring, many citizens were worried about the question: “Will the linden trees on Tverskaya Street, which were planted in December in frosty weather, have leaves to appear?” The trees turned green, however, belatedly, and on some branches the leaves did not appear. How will the lindens feel on a busy highway?

- Frozen ground planting is a common practice. In the spring, they did not immediately bloom, because they needed to adapt to new conditions. Some branches did not survive during the adaptation period. And that's okay.

Photo: TASS/Alexander Shcherbak

In nurseries, specialists prepare large-sized plants for planting: they cut, form the root system so that it is compact, do not forget the above-ground part. After planting, it is important that the trees continue to be looked after: dead or diseased branches are cut in time, fed, watered, and their health is monitored. Plants need to be sprayed from pests and diseases, to raise immunity. To preserve moisture in the root zone, gel additives can be added to the soil. In general, dendrologists now have a huge arsenal for caring for trees in urban areas so that they feel good and live long.

– Does it mean that the well-being of limes on Tverskaya and their life expectancy depend on how dendrologists look after them?

- Of course. Another thing, I often see trees in the yards and on the streets that are not properly cared for. The main mistake is that the branches are cut incorrectly, leaving a large stump. It begins to rot, fungi and bacteria penetrate here, then the core angers, and a hollow is formed. Eventually the tree breaks and falls.

“The life expectancy of poplar in urban conditions is not more than 70 years”

– Because of this, during the hurricane over Moscow on May 29, so many poplars fell down?

- Life expectancy of poplar in urban conditions is no more than 70 years. And the trees that grow in Moscow were planted more than half a century ago! Their lifespan is coming to an end. All poplars need to be removed, they are dangerous.

In courtyards, poplars that have grown higher than the roof of the seventh or ninth floor are cut in half. But this is a controversial practice: the trees are still old, the trunks are dry, so they fall in a squally wind.

Aftermath of a hurricane in May 2017. Photo: Portal of the Mayor and Government of Moscow

In general, in natural conditions, at 50-70 years old, a tree is considered young. After 100-120 years, this is already an age, especially for fast-growing trees. Trees have a shorter life in the city.

- The main array of trees, which are already 50-60-70 years old, grow in areas of five-story buildings. Surely they will be removed under the renovation program. What species of trees could be planted in the yards of new houses?

- Poplars are definitely not worth planting. I would advise planting ash. In my opinion, this tree feels good in the city, grows quickly and has a strong crown.

Gorgeous linden tree. It has decorative foliage, a beautiful silver-red crown. Of course, maple is an excellent breed for the city. Moreover, there are many species of maple, with different colors of foliage. Of the conifers, it is probably better to choose spruce or pine, but only of a small height.

I would not recommend arborvitae for planting. They don't feel good in the city. Still, this is not quite our tree, therefore, they require care, like shrubs: bird cherry, mountain ash, cherries. All shrubs need to be trimmed, and they are most often incorrectly trimmed or not trimmed at all.

Photo: m24.ru/Yulia Ivanko

- However, during flowering lindens are allergenic. They were even cut down in Moscow some time ago because of this. If they are planted in city blocks, will allergy sufferers suffer?

- Allergy is not my area of ​​expertise. I will only pay attention to the fact that all plants bloom. The birch is the first to bloom, shoots with earrings even before the leaves bloom. Some allergic people react to its pollen, but this does not mean that all birch trees need to be cut down.

– Sometimes in the winter the wipers pour the reagents directly onto the lawn. How does this affect mail and plants?

- Reagents are mainly potassium or sodium salts, that is, almost the same fertilizers that we use when growing other crops. In small quantities, they are useful, but in those volumes in which they are poured onto the sidewalk or the roadway, and sometimes onto the lawn, they are dangerous for trees and soil.

Most chemicals are used in winter when the trees are dormant, but they remain in the soil and cause damage to the plants. Alkalis or acids can neutralize the action of salts.

“For trees, cleaning leaves is definitely not useful”

– Do you think it is necessary to clean fallen leaves under trees?

- Cleaning leaves is definitely not useful for trees. Fallen leaves retain the necessary moisture for the tree, both harmful and beneficial insects and bacteria live under them. In autumn, the tree takes all the important nutrients from the leaves: proteins and carbohydrates, thus only cellulose remains in the fallen leaf, which is processed by bacteria, forming deciduous soil that feeds the trees.

Photo: Portal of the Mayor and Government of Moscow

Harvesting the leaves leads to the fact that the natural conditions of the tree are violated. Therefore, I am a supporter of leaving foliage. However, fallen leaves knock out the lawn and do not allow lawn grass to grow normally.

Then the way out can be like this - to create deciduous soil artificially. To do this, you need to collect, compost, and then scatter. This will benefit both the lawn and the trees. But this procedure is time-consuming, expensive, so one could simply leave the foliage around the tree for nutrition.

Rules for harvesting foliage in Moscow

– In the city center, trees are often wrapped in garlands to create a festive atmosphere. How does illumination affect trees?

- In my opinion, the illumination does not cause much damage to the tree, provided that the bulbs do not get very hot and do not burn the bark. But, as a rule, cold LEDs are now used, so there are no problems.

“Illumination does not injure a tree much”

Trees are injured by another practice - tying the tops of seedlings into a knot. It is believed that this way the barrel will not go anywhere, it will stand stronger, but this is a big mistake. Over time, this node begins to choke the tree, the so-called nodules are formed, from which it ceases to grow and develop.

- The forests of the near Moscow region are dying from the bark beetle. Even seven or ten years ago, there was no such problem with the bark beetle-typographer. Why has the bark beetle become a real scourge for the forests near Moscow?

– The typographer has always been dangerous and relevant for Moscow and the Moscow region. But earlier, forests were cultivated from the air and from the ground, so there was no problem.

Forests near Moscow affected by the bark beetle. Photo: TASS/Igor Zotin

In recent years, processing has not been carried out. The fighters for ecology raised a wave of protests, and they also reduced the staff of forestries, there are no foresters and there is simply no one to work. Hence the huge problem, the forests around Moscow are dying by hectares and they are being cut down. I do not rule out that this is even beneficial to someone, because empty plots remain, they can be easily taken out of the forest fund and something built.

There are preparations that can be used to process forests from the printer, but the problem is still different, there are settlements around these forests, and according to modern laws, the processing of such areas is prohibited.

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