A large part of the oak trees in “Domneasca Forest” need inundations to wash away the soil in which they grow. Glodeni district head Valeriu Tsarigradschi, former director of the reserve “Padurea Domneasca” (“Domneasca Forest”), has told IPN that he made numerous approaches to the authorities, asking allowing to cause controlled floods in order to save the trees, but received no answer yet.

According to Valeriu Tsarigradschi, the trees become dry because they are populated by birds that influence soil acidity. “In the Domneasca Forest, we have a fauna monument called the Kingdom of Herons. This colony of egrets is an enigma. In the Danube Basin, they build nests in reed beds and only in Moldova they build their nests on oak trees. This colony has lived here for at least 150 years and our zoologists haven’t yet established why they live on trees,” he stated.

The problems appeared after the Costesti-Stanca dam was built across the Prut River. Before the construction of this barrier, season floods happened there once in 3-4 years. “Now the birds don’t want to live on dry trees and migrate deeper into the forest,” stated Valeriu Tsarigradschi.

He added that controlled floods can be caused on the Prut. The authorities took no relevant decision yet as causing inundations implies costs and responsibilities, as certain risks are taken.

Valeriu Tsarigradschi noted that the “Domneasca Forest” contains oak trees older than 400 years. They occupy an area of 120 hectares. The district authorities want to restore the initial oak tree forest using acorns of century-old trees.