Half of green spaces along Belarusian freeways get lost due to improper maintenance

Almost half of green plantings along the roads are got lost because of improper maintenance. This conclusion was made by the State Control Committee on the results of inspections. The annual plantings amount to thousands of seedlings, while wastelands are still dominant in places, which are in dire need of organization of so-called "snow strips". Partly, such gaps are due to insufficient control of landscaping issues by local authorities, according to the SCC. The Second Ring Road became noticeably greener in 2017. Then it was decided to add spruces and other young trees to the areas adjacent to the M14. Several hundred trees were planted. However, the result of such work was not long-lasting. The next season showed that only half of the plants took root. Andrei Kolesnikov, Deputy Director General of Minskavtodor-Center: After we saw that there is a big non-vitalization of green spaces, our company hired the Institute of Botany of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Belarus to monitor these plants. Recommendations were received and in 2019 the Ministry of Transport of Communication was allocated funds for landscaping, a contract was signed with the Minsk Forestry, and we carried out planting shrubs exactly according to the recommendations of the Academy of Sciences. The reason for the trees death is an aggressive environment. Not all plants can survive near the road in conditions of pollution and accumulation of salts in the soil and air. It is especially difficult for conifers to get accustomed to such busy areas. Today, a total area of 1200 meters on the M1 needs such a "natural barrier". There are similar unsafe areas in almost every direction. This area near the village of Tabory, on the Grodno highway, is also often covered with snow in winter. Anastasia Tereshko, chief state inspector of the State Control Committee: Road organizations bring and install protective shields every year, although it was possible to solve this problem by creating a special snow protection strip of plantations. According to the State Control Committee, to solve the problems identified by the local authorities, it is necessary to coordinate the activities related to the landscaping of roadside areas, streamline the work with the planning, as well as organize proper monitoring of the quality of work and the adaptability of plantings. This year, the green fund will be expanded by planting a few thousand saplings, in the past, though the volume was more substantial, time has shown that we must not take the quantity. Much depends on the maintenance.. Belarus is a country with high level of softscape Ludmila Bartoshevich, Deputy Head of the Department of Biological and Landscape Diversity of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection: The softscape in the Republic of Belarus is at a very high level and the level of this green space is constantly growing every year. It accounts for 40% in the populated areas, while in some regions and districts it reaches up to 60-65%. It is within our power to preserve these plants. However, in the city they often suffer not from reagents, but from the hands of vandals.