Minsk City Executive Committee Chairman Uladzimir Kukharau explained on STV why trees on Independence Avenue in central Minsk were transplanted into planters. According to him, the move was related to heating networks.
“As for the section of Independence Avenue, there were trees growing here that had been specially selected by the Academy of Sciences. We are now practising this approach: almost all the trees planted are elms and ash trees, and they are adapted to the urban environment. They had already been growing for several years, everything was going well, but there is one particularity: on this section of Independence Avenue, there are utilities, that is, heating infrastructure, and the pipes are located not far underground.
And this winter, when there were indeed frosts for two months, it was necessary to maintain a high temperature of the heating medium in order to provide heating to homes. This led to overheating of the root systems of these trees, and they died. All the measures taken by specialists — we brought in the Botanical Garden and other specialised institutes to provide fertilisation and rehabilitation — produced no results. But seeing this situation and understanding that if we planted trees again, in four or five years their root systems would once again reach the utilities, we made the considered decision that this would be the wrong approach. It was decided to plant the trees in planters instead. They will grow, and their root systems will allow them to remain there for 15 years and beyond,” he said.
He noted that the current volume of the planters would be sufficient for the trees for 10 years. At the same time, the city authorities expect them not to grow significantly in height, while their crowns will develop actively.
“There will be proper care, specific care to ensure that they do not grow too much upwards but that their crowns develop more broadly, and we will continue working with them,” he said.
Kukharau also did not rule out the possibility that the trees on the avenue could be removed in the event of a severe winter.
