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GREECE

The urban forests of Thessaloniki

THE FOREST OF SEIH-SOU

The urban forest of Thessaloniki, known as Seih-sou, stretches on the hills that surround the city.

The name Seih Sou MEANS “ the water of the Seih ”. It was given the name during the Turkish occupation of the city due to the spring whose remains still exist in the area.

This forest was planted in the 30s with a view to stabilize the ground and recover the downgraded ecosystem. Besides, the forest would avert the danger of floods that often occurred and tantalized the inhabitants of the city. Those goals were achieved to a certain extend.

Nevertheless, in July 1997 the forest went through a tremendous ecological devastation: 55% of the total extent of the forest was burnt.

The natural retrieval of the species- trachea pine and cypress- as well as the reforestations with new species like oak, cedar, umbrella pine, led to the present state of the forest. 55% of it is a young and sensitive ecosystem that has to be well protected more than ever before.

This effort is still in progress through the implementation of a master plan for the protection and upgrade of the forest, an attempt that is being supported by many public and local authorities and is co-funded by Greece and the European Community.

The article was written by Konsta Zoe, student of the 4^th Secondary school of Stavroupolis, Thessaloniki.

Mount Chortiatis

Mount Chortiatis or Hortiatis (Greek: Όρος Χορτιάτη, Χορτιάτης), known in Antiquity as Cissus or Kissos, is a mountain in Central Macedonia, Greece. It rises southeast of Thessaloniki. Its highest peak rises at 1,201 metres. Besides the city of Thessaloniki, there are several suburbs and villages located on the foothills of Chortiatis, most notably Chortiatis and the affluent suburb of Panorama, both of them belonging to the Pylaia-Chortiatis Municipality. The mountain's landscape is wooded, with part of these woods making up Thessaloniki's Seih Sou Forest National Park. A fall wind that blows on the Thermaicos Gulf was named after the mountain as well.

Mount Chortiatis played a crucial role for the water supply of Thessaloniki from ancient up to modern times. In the late Byzantine period the Chortaïtes monastery on the northern slopes of the mountain provided the city and the region east of it with fresh water by an aqueduct whose remains have been partly preserved.

The article was written by Kamari Anastasia, student of the 4^th Secondary school of Stavroupolis, Thessaloniki.

Lithuania

Forests of Lithuania.

Forests in Lithuania cover approximately 32% of Lithuania′s territory. The dominant species are Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) (42%) and spruce (Picea abies) (22.8%). The average age of the forest stands is 53 years. The largest forest is Dainava Forest at 1,350 km2.

Vast portions of the Lithuania forests is a combination of boreal and broadleaved forest. The forest in Lithuania consists of various kinds of coniferous trees and vascular plants. The coniferous forest consists of about sixty percent of the Lithuania forest zone. The Scots pine and the Norway Spruce are the main conifers of the forests. These coniferous trees are mainly found in the northern, western and southern parts of Lithuania. The forest of Lithuania also comprises of broadleaf woodlands steppe and arctic species.

Lithuania has a mixed kind of forests including a variety of tress and plants. The hornbeam species like "Carpinus betulas" are mostly found in the northern coniferous zone. The pine forest occupies forty two percent of the forest area while hardwood deciduous trees and spruce four and twenty six percent respectively. These Lithuania forests are owned by the state while the private forest area is composed of twenty percent spruce, five percent hardwood deciduous and thirty two percent of pines.

Stelmužė Oak (Lithuanian: Stelmužės ąžuolas) is an English (Pedunculate) oak tree which grows in the former Stelmužė Manor park by Stelmužė village, Lithuania.

The oak measures 3.5 m in diameter and 13 m in girth at its widest part; being 2.8 m. and 9.58 m at waist level. The oak reaches 23 m in height with only side branches remaining alive. It is believed to be at least 1,500 years old, possibly, as much as 2,000 years old; this makes it the oldest oak in Lithuania and one of the oldest in Europe. However, exact age measurements are difficult as the inner part of the trunk has been removed.

In 1960 the oak was declared a natural monument and included in the list of protected objects in Lithuania. It is the best known tree in the country.

According to legend, Perkūnas (the main pagan ancient god in Lithuania) was worshipped beneath this tree by Pagans.

Akmene region fascinates with its unique natural areas, untouched by human hand and distinctive landscapes. The river Venta is flowing there, it is the third in Lithuania for its size. To preserve the plants and landscape zones becoming extinct, Venta Regional Park was established, its area is 10600 hectares. 670 species of the higher plants and 140 species of birds are recorder in the park.

Papile Geological Reserve is significant for the science of archaeology for the fossils of Jurassic Period. There is a beautiful lime-tree with 15 trunks growing in Papile park, it is a monument of nature.

You can be informed further for Lithuanian forests HERE