Botanika – Steciana 11, 2007, 159-170 ISSN 1896-1908
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Roczniki Akademii Rolniczej w Poznaniu CCCLXXXVI Botanika – Steciana 11, 2007, 159-170 www.au.poznan.pl/steciana ISSN 1896-1908 NAture monumeNtS in tHe Gniezno County Wojciech Antkowiak, Olga Wojciechowska W. Antkowiak, Department of Botany, August Cieszkowski Agricultural University, Wojska Polskiego 71c, 60-625 Poznań, Poland, e-mail: [email protected] (Received: May 14, 2007. Accepted: May 2, 2007) Abstract. the study presents results of a survey of nature monuments in the Gniezno County: 106 trees, 24 groups of trees, one avenue and one granite erratic. the biggest number, i.e. 55 nature monuments, are located in the Kiszkowo commune, while the lowest in the Niechanowo commune (one nature monument). Among the inventoried 401 trees of 24 species the most numerous group (62.8%) consisted of common oaks Quercus robur, small-leaved limes Tilia cordata (15.0%), white poplars Populus alba (4.2%) and european ashes Fraxinus excelsior (4.2%). Coniferous trees constituted only 2% of all inventoried trees. the most impressive trees in the Gniezno county are common oaks: seven of them with girth of 5-6 m, one with girth of 6.2 m and one – from Mielno (the biggest girth among all inventoried trees) of 8.40 m. Impressive trees include also three white poplars (the communes of Kiszkowo and Witkowo; girths of 5.11, 5.22 and 5.95 m), one black poplar (the trzemeszno commune; girth of 5.86 m), one european ash (the Kiszkowo commune; girth of 5.05 m) and one white willow (the trzemeszno commune; girth of 6.0 m). Other objects worth mentioning here are Populus tremula from Kamionki (girth of 4. m), a granite erratic from Sokolniki (the Mieleszyn commune) with a girth exceeding 14 m and height of 2 m and Lipa Hipolita Cegielskiego [the Hipolit Ciegielski Lime] growing in ławki (the trzemeszno commune). this tree was planted next to a house in which this famous resident of the Wielkopolska region lived, in the year he was born. the tree has an exceptional trunk – in its damaged inside we may see large adventitious roots. Almost 50% of trees considered to be nature monuments grow in manor parks and in other green area designs, while almost 20% grow in forests. A vast majority of trunks (84%) and crowns (7%) exhibit very good and good health state. Weak and poor health condition of stems was found in 6.6%, and that of crowns in 9% trees, respectively. A distinct upward trend has been observed for the number of nature monuments in the Gniezno County. In the years 1945-1969 7% monuments were approved, in the 1970�s it was 5%, while in the 1980�s it was 17% nature monuments. A considerable increase in the number of nature monuments was observed in the 1990�s (6% established nature monuments) and in the first years of the 21st century (up to 2005 5% na- ture monuments were established). Among 12 monuments in the Gniezno county only 10 were approved by the local government, while the others were established on the basis of the ordinance of the provincial governor or the ordinance of the Provincial People�s Council. Key words: nature monument, the Gniezno County, survey Introduction cies, springs, waterfalls, karst springs, rocks, ravines, erratic boulders, caves”. Nature monuments constitute one of the most valu- able elements of the natural landscape. they are admired for their ancient age, majestic beauty, presented by poets, The site of tHe Study, painters and photographers, and as such they have been material and Methods truly appreciated by the contemporary population. the term “nature monument” was introduced in lit- the Gniezno County is one of the 5 counties of the erature by a famous naturalist Alexander von Humboldt Wielkopolskie province. It borders the Żnin, Mogilno, at the beginning of the 20th century (Kasprzak 1995), Słupca, Września, Poznań and Wągrowiec counties. the and adopted by the Polish legal system to the nature county consists of nine communes: Czerniejewo,������������������� Gniez- conservation practice with the Act on Nature Protec- no, Kiszkowo, Kłecko, łubowo, Mieleszyn, Niechanowo, tion of 1949 (Ustawa... 1949). the Act of 16 April, 2004 trzemeszno and Witkowo (Fig.��������� 1). (the official gazette Dziennik Ustaw... 2004) definesthe It covers the area of 125 000 ha and in the scale of the nature monument as “single creations of animate and Wielkopolskie province it ranks sixth. Investigations were inanimate nature or their clusters with special scientific, conducted in the vegetation seasons of 2005 and 2006. historical and heritage value, and exhibiting individual the survey of nature monuments was based on infor- features among other creations, being especially ancient mation obtained from the archives of the Nature Con- and impressive trees and shrubs of native or alien spe- servation Officer for the Wielkopolska region, as well as © Wydawnictwo Akademii Rolniczej im. Augusta Cieszkowskiego w Poznaniu 160 W. Antkowiak, O. Wojciechowska Fig. 1. the location of towns with nature monuments: 1 – county boundaries, 2 – commune boundaries, – railway line, 4 – roads, 5 – water bodies commune offices. they were mostly data from applica- Results tions to have the nature monument established or deci- sions concerning the creation of the protected form. In the Gniezno County the following nature monu- trees were inventoried by measuring their stem cir- ments were inventoried (tables 1 and 2): cumference at a height of 1. m. these values were given – 106 trees (48 in the Kiszkowo commune, 25 in the accurate to 1 cm. If a tree was growing on a hill slope, Czerniejewo commune, 1 in the Kłecko commune, then girth was measured from the slope side. In case of with eight each in the communes of Mieleszyn and trees having considerable holes in their stems at a������� ������height trzemeszno, two in the Witkowo commune and with of 1. m girth was measured above and below the hole. one each in the communes of łubowo and �������Niecha- the proper value of girth is the arithmetic mean of these nowo��), two measurements. tree height was measured using – 2 clusters of trees (seven in the Kiszkowo commune, a���������������������� ���������������������hypsometer by Suunto. four in the Mieleszyn commune, with three each in the health state of trees was also estimated based the communes of trzemeszno and Witkowo, with on a 5-point scale, following the recommendations by two each in the communes of Gniezno and Kłecko, Kasprzak (2005): with one each in the communes of Czerniejewo and 5 (very good health state) – trees completely healthy, łubowo), with no dry branches, holes in the trunk or disease – one oak tree line formed by 115 Quercus robur trees symptoms, (the Witkowo commune), 4 (good) – trees with slight trunk/stem damage and small – one avenue (46 small-leaved limes; the trzemeszno crown depletion, especially in the top part (up to 0%), commune), (satisfactory) – trees in “average” condition, light-foli- – one granite erratic boulder (the Mieleszyn commune). aged crown – not very well-foliaged, crown dead in A total of 401 trees of 24 species were inventoried: 0-50%, with slight holes in the trunk or stem, 252 Quercus robur trees, 60 Tilia cordata, 17 Populus 2 (bad) – trees having 50-70% dead crown and trunk or alba, 17 Fraxinus excelsior, 12 Tilia platyphyllos, 11 Ulmus stem, considerable depletion in wood tissue, numerous laevis, eight Aesculus hippocastanum, three each of Fa� damage sites on trunk and/or hollows and/or visible gus sylvatica and Picea abies, two each of Pinus sylve� symptoms of pathogen infestation, stris, Populus nigra, Sorbus torminalis, one each of Acer 1 (very bad) – trees with crown and trunk or stem dead campestre, Euonymus europaeus, Pinus nigra, Platanus in over 70%, with numerous hollows, in which less × hispanica, Populus tremula, Pyrus communis, Quercus than 25% girth performs conductive functions, and petraea, Q. rubra, Robinia pseudoacacia, Salix alba, Taxus dead trees. baccata, and Thuja occidentalis. Among the inventoried Nature monuments in the Gniezno County 161 objects the most numerous group (62.8%) consisted of from the register. It was a common oak, which girth in common oaks Quercus robur, small-leaved limes Tilia 1979 was 6.6 m. the remainder after the fallen tree is its cordata (15.0%), white poplars Populus alba (4.2%) and damaged trunk of 2.4 m in height. european ashes Fraxinus excelsior (4.2%). Due to the incorrect data found in the register of na- the most impressive trees in the Gniezno County ture monuments, it was not possible to find a common (among all the categories of nature monuments) are oak tree called “Stary Dąb” [the Old Oak], registered at common oaks: seven of them with girth of 5-6 m, one no. 54/96. (no. 446, the Mieleszyn commune) with girth of 6.2 m Nature monument no. 508 (the Mieleszyn commune) and one (the biggest girth among all inventoried trees) of was given in table 1, although it was registered in the 8.40 m (no. 122/2, the Mieleszyn commune). Impressive category of tree clusters. Out of two maples, the Acer trees include also three white poplars (the communes campestre tree remains, while Acer platanoides was of Kiszkowo and Witkowo; girths of 5.11, 5.22 and 5.95 felled. m), one black poplar (the trzemeszno commune; girth the tree cluster – nature monument no. 45 (the of 5.86 m), one european ash (the Kiszkowo commune; Mieleszyn commune, table 2) is formed by two Quer� girth of 5.05 m) and one white willow (the trzemeszno cus������ robur trees. At the time this nature monument was commune; girth of 6.0 m). established (198) this cluster was formed by three com- Almost 50% of trees being nature monuments grow mon oaks.