TREE GIANTS: SPRUCE TREE AT KUNČ
Rastlinstvo in živalstvo, Pohodne poti, Naravne znamenitosti
Kunč, 8350 Dolenjske Toplice
Spruce tree at Kunč is the thickest spruce tree (Picea abies) in lower Carniola region of Slovenia. It exhibits vitality still, including quite an appositional growth and regular seeding. Its age is estimated to be around 150 years.
By the middle of the 19th century the natural habitats of spruce in Kočevski rog were limited only to some cold places in the depressions. The introduction of spruce is connected with the beginning of the exploitation of these forests, when bare felling and the planting of firs with spruce prevailed. Intensive planting of spruce is also characteristic of the period after the Second World War, when many areas of abandoned Gottscheer villages were reforested.
Spruce is a typical alpine or a boreal species that needs high air humidity and a lot of rainfall to grow. It does not tolerate drought and heat, so it is more susceptible to bark beetle attack and drying in such areas.
The tree data:
Hight 51,0 m
Circumference: 4,70 m
Diameter: 1,50 m
Yearly appositional growth: 7,9 mm
