The number of "monumental trees," recognized as cultural heritage and placed under protection, has increased to 10,506 with the registration of 53 additional trees this year, the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change recently announced.
Monumental trees, which have a lifespan capable of bridging the past and the future, surpass the usual dimensions of their species in terms of age, trunk diameter, crown diameter and height and thereby hold a special place in local history and culture.
The General Directorate for Protection of Natural Assets under the ministry works on registering and protecting these monumental trees to ensure their, as well as the environment's, well-being.
Mustafa Uzun, the head of the Natural Sites and Natural Assets Department at the General Directorate for Protection of Natural Assets, stated that they identify monumental trees by conducting studies that reveal structural characteristics of the trees, such as trunk diameters, lengths and age.
Regarding the determination of the tree's age, Uzun explained that teams extract a piece called an "increment borer" from a certain spot of the tree trunk. By counting the age rings on this borer, which represents the expansion of the tree trunk over the years, the tree's approximate age is determined in a laboratory, he noted.
"Then, by comparing the dimensional characteristics determined by us with the criteria for classifying a tree as a monumental tree, we carry out the identification and registration process to protect the tree in accordance with the Law on Protection of Cultural and Natural Assets Number 2863."
As part of the conservation efforts, the monumental trees are pruned to remove dry and diseased branches, as well as branches at risk of falling due to weight. Any gaps in the trunk are sealed with grafting wax.
Cavities and damaged areas affected by insects and fungi are cleaned and sterilized in a process that sometimes requires removing the diseased sections from the tree.
According to the relevant law, individuals who intentionally cause damage to protected monumental trees or engage in construction and physical interventions without permission can be sentenced to imprisonment for a period of two to five years and fined.
As per data from the ministry, the 4,117-year-old yew tree in the Alaplı district of the northern Zonguldak province holds the title of being the oldest.
Other ancient monumental trees include a 2,329-year-old cedar tree in Antalya's Kumluca, a 2,282-year-old Oriental plane tree in Onikişubat in southeastern Kahramanmaraş, a 2,003-year-old Oriental plane tree in Hatay's Samandağ and a Juniper tree in Taşkent, Konya.