SIMFEROPOL, October 16 Preliminary conclusion of scientists about the one and a half thousand year old Crimean pine (Pallas), growing on the southern spurs of Ai-Petri in Crimea and claiming to be the oldest living tree in the region turned out to be erroneous, the press service of the Federal State Budgetary Institution «Reserved Crimea» reported.
“The sensational news about determining the age of the Crimean pine (Pallas) ends in no less sensational disappointment for the reserve. As the press service of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “NBS-NNSC” clarified, the preliminary conclusion put forward by NBS scientists turned out to be premature and erroneous,” the Zapovedny report says. Crimea».
Based on the results of subsequent, additional checks (including laboratory ones), the “real age of the pine” was established; it could be 616 years.
The girth of a pine tree at 1.5 meters is six meters 16 centimeters, and the diameter at the same height is 186 centimeters. The Federal State Budgetary Institution «Reserve Crimea» clarified that they expect the official conclusion of scientists from the Nikitsky Botanical Garden on the age of the pine within a week and thank them for their cooperation.
On Tuesday, the organization that manages the Yalta Mountain Forest Reserve reported that employees of the Nikitsky Botanical Garden (NBS) were conducting research on the famous Crimean pine (Pallas), which grows on the southern spurs of the Ai-Petri plateau. A non-traumatic method was used to determine the age of the tree; the error should not exceed 70 years. According to preliminary results, scientists reported, the age of the pine was about 1.5 thousand years. It has been suggested that this is the oldest living tree on the peninsula.
Crimean pine, or Pallas pine, is an evergreen tree that lives on average 500-600 years, depending on its origin.