Many people who like to relax in nature, walk in the woods or just sit in the park, pay attention to huge, tall trees. The most frequently asked question is how many years have trees lived. One of the most beautiful and mysterious are oak and birch groves. Walking past massive oaks or slender and tall birches, do you think how many years trees live?
Mysterious Oak
Walking along the oak grove, you pay attention to the mystery of these trees. The question involuntarily arises in my head about how many years the oak tree has lived. This is one of the most common trees in the northern hemisphere, belonging to the Bukov family. There are legends about this mighty tree. Even in ancient Greece, oak groves were called the habitat of the goddess of fertility Demeter and noted the beneficial properties of oak.
For example, oak bark has astringent and anti-inflammatory properties and is used in folk medicine. Oak fruits - acorns - are rich in such a useful substance as quercetin, and are used to relieve swelling, inflammation, spasms, and also have excellent antioxidant properties. Oak is a very durable material, so it is used in the manufacture of household furniture, wine barrels and various items of an artistic nature. Oak, like many other trees, has its own species. In total there are about 600 species of oaks. The most common are petiolate, dentate and rocky. Regardless of the type, the tree can reach a height of 20 to 40 meters, and the trunk circumference - up to 9 meters.
How old is the oak tree?
Passing by old oaks, you wonder how many years live trees with such powerful trunks? The average life span of an oak tree does not depend on the type of given tree and is 300 - 400 years. But rare cases are known when trees survive to 2, 000 years. So, for example, the Mamvrian oak, located in Palestine, is about 1900 years old. Christians consider it a holy tree. According to the Bible, Patriarch Abraham received God under this tree. Stelmuzhsky oak grows in Lithuania, it is considered the oldest oak tree in Europe, according to some reports, its age is 2000 years.
Beautiful birch
In addition to oak, one of the most common trees in the northern hemisphere is birch. It belongs to the deciduous family, the Birch family. It occupies one of the first places in beauty, its graceful white trunk attracts with its stream of outgoing light. Birch has a special place in the culture of Slavic, Finnish and Scandinavian ancient tribes. So, for example, among the Slavs this tree protects and protects from evil spirits. Birch is famous not only for its beauty, but also for its benefits, as well as medicinal properties. Birch sap, which is collected in early spring, has a large amount of minerals and is useful for humans. Birch buds contain a large amount of essential oil, so they are used as a diaphoretic and blood-purifying agent. Birch is the main raw material for charcoal, which is used in everyday life, in addition, durable wood is obtained from birch. In total, about 120 species of birch trees are known. The most common is fluffy birch, in addition, yellow and weeping are often found. These species reach an average of 25-30 meters in height and up to 80 centimeters in diameter. Walking along the birch grove and admiring such beauties, one involuntarily wonders how many years the trees live?
