Monumental Trees, A Bridge From Past To Future

BURSA - With their magnificent images all over the city, "Monumental trees" of Bursa, a northwestern city of Turkey, decorate historical and cultural texture of the city.
Metropolitan Municipality of Bursa carries out a "tree protection" policy.
Municipality executives told A.A correspondent that 870 trees were registered as monumental trees in Bursa. This amount was 700 in 1999.
Brass plaques were nailed on monument trees in 1995 saying "Natural monument, can not be logged". Species, registration dates and inventory records of trees were also signified on plaques.
"Bursa has a specific significance with its historical, cultural and geographical characteristics and its legendary greenery as well" Hikmet Sahin, Mayor of Bursa, told A.A.
"As special pieces of our cultural heritage, monumental trees allow us to communicate with the past. We should all protect and perpetuate our natural, historical and cultural values as a heritage to the future. We are trying to regain "green Bursa" image with forestry plantation and new recreation activities," Sahin added.