Woody plants in Estonian parks under nature protection in the 19th – 21st century Eesti looduskaitsealuste parkide puittaimestik 19.–21. sajandil

Abstract

The article is based on the master’s thesis entitled “Woody plants in Estonian parks under nature protection in the 19^th –21^st century” and it looks at one important component of parks –  their building blocks, that is, a diverse range of woody plants, giving an overview of their existence in Estonian parks under nature protection over the centuries as well as of the modern varieties of trees and shrubs most frequently used in parks. It also includes a list of the species recommended for landscaping restored parks. Estonian parks have been established by using mainly the native varieties of trees and shrubs that are most suitable for our landscape or climate. Many parks consist of natural groves shaped by cutting and replanting. In the 19^th century, when more information about the flora of the new regions was available, many different varieties of trees and shrubs were introduced in the parks of Europe. As the number of native Estonian varieties of trees and shrubs is not very large (89 species of trees, shrubs and dwarf shrubs), and there was an attempt to follow the general tendency in Europe,  the cultivated or improved varieties of native species as well as foreign species were planted in our parks in large numbers for landscaping and aesthetic purposes or, sometimes, for establishing an arboretum.

By today many parks have reached the stage of maturity, with the original plants being 100 to 150 years old, and some parks are growing wild. While renovating and restoring parks, it is very important to find out what varieties of plants there were originally. According to Article 12 of the Florence Charter: ‘Those species of trees, shrubs, plants and flowers to be replaced periodically must be selected with regard for established and recognized practice in each botanical and horticultural region, and with the aim to determine the species initially grown and to preserve them’.The aim of the study was to identify what have been the most popular species in our parks at different periods and, on that basis, a list was drawn that features the most characteristic varieties in Estonian parks. The species on the list are recommended to be used for landscaping the restored parks, especially in cases when no historical documents have been preserved.