Rare trees lost in botanical gardens

Rare trees lost in botanical gardens

BOGOR (JP): A large number of rare trees planted in botanical
gardens here and in Bali have fallen following days of torrential
rain over the past week.

Director of the Bogor Botanical Gardens Dedy Darnaedi, who
also heads the state gardens in the neighboring district of
Cibodas, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday that the number of
fallen trees was close to 100 in the two places alone, while the
number of trees downed in Bedugul park in Bali was still being
counted.

The uprooted trees in the Cibodas park included those
belonging to the cactace, agatis, araucaria and casuarina
families aged between 80 and 100 years old, Dedy said.

Only four trees were felled in the Bogor park, all of which
were canary and rubber trees aged over 40 years old.

"Of course, the losses are financially immeasurable because
the trees are some of our rarest," Dedy stressed.

He said some of the cactace trees, which are of American
origin, could be salvaged by replanting their roots.

It was not the first time that trees belonging to the
botanical gardens had fallen victim to storms and torrential
rains, Dedy said. In fact, it was quite common as most of them
were planted, instead of having grown naturally. As a result, the
trees did not root firmly to the ground.

He dismissed speculation that the trees were diseased before
tumbling.

"We routinely examine the trees. Whenever we find fungus or
other sources of disease on the plants, we quickly take care of
it," Dedy said.

Apart from plants, buildings in the gardens were also damaged
by the storms, according to Dedy.

Damage was found in a guest house, a library and a laboratory
in the Cibodas gardens, and four greenhouses, four ethnobotanical
buildings and an exhibition room were damaged in the Bali garden.
(21)