230,000 trees to be planted along Western Europe – Western China highway

Different trees will be planted along Western Europe – Western China road, Tengrinews.kz reports, citing Znamya Truda newspaper. 70 thousand trees have been cut down during construction of the Western Europe – Western China highway in Zhambyl oblast. Instead of these trees it is planned to plant 231 thousand saplings and then another 56-58 thousand saplings a year later instead of the trees that will fail to take root. The project is worth about 1.4 billion tenge ($9.5 million). The time-frame of its implementation will be adjusted later. The trees planting project will start as soon as the highway’s sections will be put into operation. According to Aizhan Tuganova, deputy director of Zhambyl oblast department of Motorways Committee under the Ministry of Transport and Communications, it is planned to put four sections of the road in Zhualynsky and Zhambylsky regions (539-593 kilometers of the road), two sections in Bayzaksky and Turar Ryskulov regions (404-483 kilometers) and one section in Korday region (210-260 kilometers) into operation this year. “Initially it was expected that construction of the road will be completed in 2012-2013. However, work at various sections started at different time, besides Taraz bypass road contractor will be selected only in October-November this year. So, it is scheduled to put the whole highway into operation only in 2014,” Tuganova said. Siberian and European white elms, ashes, three-thorned acacias, maples, mulberries and oleasters will be planted three-meter apart from each other in the road’s tree belt areas. Ornamental bushes such as honeysuckle, Vanhoutte spiraea, tamarix, Russian almond, common privet, Siberian pea-tree and briar will decorate the highway. All these plants are cultivated in Zhambyl forest nurseries. The bushes will be planted at recreational areas in groups of several plants of different types. They will be planted in accordance with the landscaping design. The trees will be planted not only in those sites where the plants had been previously cut down but in the openings and thin places of the green belt along the road. Rassilkhan Terlikbayev, chief expert of the Natural Resources and Environmental Management Department of Zhambyl oblast Akimat (regional authorities), believes it very important to protect young trees. “Now the workers are planting trees near the airport and along the road to Balasagun Central Concert Hall. They have planted 3687 trees and lost 387 of them, because cattle is grazing there,” he added. According to the authors of the project, the planted trees will absorb more than 1,148 million kilograms of carbon dioxide a year. During their vegetation period the trees will be discharging the amounts of oxygen an hour that are enough to sustain life of 4308 people at the same time. The trees and bushes will 10% reduce the motorway sounds. The plants will discharge 4308 kilograms of phytoncides (antimicrobial allelochemic volatile organic compounds derived from plants) a day. The plants' leaves will absorb dust and neutralize the lead that is contained in the cars' exhaust.