Waligóra Pine

Waligóra Pine
Sosna Waligóra (Polish)
LocationSulechów, Poland
Coordinates52°05′32.3″N 15°40′14.7″E / 52.092306°N 15.670750°E / 52.092306; 15.670750
Typenatural monument, Scotch pine
Height527 cm (17.29 ft)
Inauguration date30 December 1982

Waligóra Pine is an over 160-year-old specimen of Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris) growing near National Road 32 close to Sulechów, within the Klępsk Forest District of the Sulechów Forest District. Designated as a natural monument, it is one of 102 such protected objects in Gmina Sulechów.

The Waligóra Pine is the second thickest pine in Poland, surpassed only by the Rzepicha Pine. In 2002, it was recognized as the thickest pine submitted in the "Thickest Tree in Poland" competition organized by Przegląd Leśniczy.

Location

The pine grows approximately 1.5 kilometers east of Sulechów,[1] along a dirt road 50 meters south of National Road 32,[2] within the Klępsk Forest District of the Sulechów Forest District.[3]

The tree is situated along two tourist trails in Gmina Sulechów: the 44-km green trail of natural monuments[4] and the 10.5-km black southern trail.[5] A forest educational path, "To Waligóra", also leads to the tree.[1] Additionally, the "Freedom is in Nature" cycling trail passes nearby.[6]

Characteristics

The Waligóra Pine likely formed from the fusion of at least two trees,[7] originally growing at the edge of a forest and a field, which was afforested after World War II, placing the pine within the forest.[8]

The thick trunk of the tree branches out at about 2 meters.[7] From one trunk, eight twisted branches form a wide-spreading crown. The branches are supported by steel cables.[9] The pine's name derives from its distinctive form. Its circumference at ground level is 527 cm, with a diameter at breast height of 620 cm,[10][11] a height of 23 meters, and an estimated age of about 160 years.[12] The pine is surrounded by a small wooden fence.[13]

For a long time, the Waligóra Pine was considered Poland's thickest pine, but due to changes in measurement methods, it now ranks second, behind the Rzepicha Pine in the same forest district,[14] which has a circumference of 568 cm.[15]

History

In 1998, a 3.4-km forest educational path, "To Waligóra", with 18 educational stations, was created to highlight the pine.[5]

In 2002, the tree was the thickest pine submitted to the "Thickest Tree in Poland" competition organized by Przegląd Leśniczy.[13]

In 2004, seven tourist trails were established in Gmina Sulechów, two of which pass near the Waligóra Pine.[16]

Legal protection as a natural monument was formalized by a decision of the Lubusz Voivode Marek Ast on 19 May 2006.[12] However, the tree's protection dates back earlier – it was listed as a natural monument (an unnamed pine with a 620 cm circumference) in Gmina Sulechów in 1990[17] and officially protected as a natural monument by a decree of the Zielona Góra Voivode on 30 December 1982.[18]

In June 2013, a "rest stop" was opened a few dozen meters from the pine, serving recreational, parking, and educational purposes with informational boards, accommodating several to a dozen cars.[19]

In 2015, the State Forests established the "Freedom is in Nature" cycling trail, starting and ending near the Waligóra Pine.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b "Lubuskie informator turystyczny" [Lubusz Tourist Guide] (PDF). lotur.eu (in Polish). pp. 81, 137. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2015.
  2. ^ Czwałga, Tadeusz (1998). Przyroda gminy Sulechów [Nature of Gmina Sulechów] (in Polish). Świebodzin, Sulechów: Wydawnictwo Lubuskiego Klubu Przyrodników. p. 11. ISBN 83-87846-03-1.
  3. ^ "Sosna "Waligóra"" [Waligóra Pine]. regiopedia.pl (in Polish). 5 February 2009. Archived from the original on 4 May 2017.
  4. ^ Maćkowiak, Marek. "Szlak Pomników Przyrody" [Natural Monuments Trail]. sulechow.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 28 October 2011.
  5. ^ a b Maćkowiak, Marek. "Szlak Południowy" [Southern Trail]. sulechow.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 28 October 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Wolność jest w naturze" [Freedom is in Nature]. gazetalubuska.pl (in Polish). 10 September 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Pomniki przyrody" [Natural Monuments]. sulechow.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 11 October 2011.
  8. ^ Maciantowicz, Marek (2015). Regionalna Dyrekcja Lasów Państwowych w Zielonej Górze. Przewodnik turystyczny [Regional Directorate of State Forests in Zielona Góra: Tourist Guide] (in Polish). FOREST. p. 9. ISBN 978-83-60450-78-9.
  9. ^ Okowiński, Leon (2002). Środowisko geograficzno-przyrodnicze gminy Sulechów [Geographical and Natural Environment of Gmina Sulechów] (in Polish). Sulechów: ZM Druk Zenon Makowski. p. 100. ISBN 83-917045-1-3.
  10. ^ "Rekordy przyrodnicze Polski i Europy" [Natural Records of Poland and Europe]. lodz.lasy.gov.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 4 February 2012.
  11. ^ "Gmina Sulechów – sport i turystyka" [Gmina Sulechów – Sports and Tourism]. ziemialubuska.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  12. ^ a b "Plan urządzenia lasu Nadleśnictwa Sulechów na okres od 1 stycznia 2010 r. do 31 grudnia 2019 r. Program ochrony przyrody" [Forest Management Plan for Sulechów Forest District for 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2019: Nature Conservation Program] (PDF). bip.lasy.gov.pl (in Polish). 22 November 2010. pp. 86–87. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  13. ^ a b "Koncepcja szlaków rowerowych w Euroregionie "Sprewa – Nysa – Bóbr"" [Concept of Cycling Trails in the "Sprewa – Nysa – Bóbr" Euroregion] (PDF). euroregion-snb.pl (in Polish). p. 94. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  14. ^ Chajewski, Dariusz (12 April 2011). "Tajemnicze i niezwykłe miejsca w naszych lasach: Tutaj są najgrubsze drzewa" [Mysterious and Extraordinary Places in Our Forests: Here Are the Thickest Trees]. gazetalubuska.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 8 March 2016.
  15. ^ "Sosna zwyczajna" [Scots Pine]. mlodziez.erys.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 17 October 2013.
  16. ^ Maćkowiak, Marek. "Szlaki turystyczne gminy Sulechów" [Tourist Trails of Gmina Sulechów]. sulechow.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 11 October 2011.
  17. ^ Król, Stanisław (1990). Województwa gorzowskie i zielonogórskie [Gorzów and Zielona Góra Voivodeships] (in Polish). Warsaw: Liga Ochrony Przyrody. p. 146.
  18. ^ "Formularz danych dla pomnika przyrody" [Natural Monument Data Form] (PDF). crfop.gdos.gov.pl (in Polish). Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 March 2017.
  19. ^ Kurzawa, Eugeniusz (17 June 2013). "Atrakcyjny leśny postój pod Sulechowem" [Attractive Forest Rest Stop near Sulechów]. gazetalubuska.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 1 July 2025.
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