700-year-old tree set on fire by unidentified perpetrators

BURSA

A 700-year-old registered tree has been set on fire and its branches have been cut by unidentified people in the İznik district of the western province of Bursa.

The tree, which witnessed the Roman and Ottoman reigns, is believed to have been damaged to have the bees accommodating inside the hives on the tree relocate to another area, İhlas News Agency has reported.

The six-meter-wide and 20-meter-long cypress tree was registered by authorities six years ago and declared as a “monumental tree.”

The head of the Elbeyli village said the provincial culture ministry directorate had not been taking care of the tree.

“By coincidence, I heard from a friend that there are cypress trees in Elbeyli and I came here to take their pictures. They are indeed wonders of nature, especially their textures. I can say that it is a magnificent work. The sad part is that it has been burned. This place needs to be placed under protection. It is sad that the authorities are uninterested regarding this issue,” a photographer told the agency.

Authorities have launched works to determine who damaged the tree.