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Tibet Builds Park for Ancient Trees
Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region has built a park for the better protection of 1, 000 ancient cypresses, one of which is said to be 2,500 years old, in Nyingchi Prefecture.
The cypresses, growing on a hillside over 3,000 m above sea level and about nine ha in area, belong to a species unique to Tibet. They are under second-class state protection. The average height and diameter of the trees are 30 m and 1 m, respectively.
The biggest of the cypresses, also the biggest trees of their kind in China, is nearly 50 m in height and 5.8 m in diameter.
"It has been growing for at least 2,500 years," experts said.
In 1982, local people built a protection zone for the cypresses, which are called by local residents "Sacred Trees".
The provincial government of Guangdong, in south China, donated some 3.6 million yuan (US$450,000) to help build the park.
Nyingchi is located on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, geographically lower than nearby areas, and having a mild and moist climate, making it an ideal habitat for the trees.
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