Old-growth oaks (Quercus robur) on the northern coast of the Gulf of Finland near St. Petersburg

Near St. Petersburg, on the northern coast of the Gulf of Finland, very old and large oak trees (Quercus robur L.) are still growing in the forest at the northern limit of their natural range. Among the many oaks surveyed, one that grows near the town of Lisy Nos, stands out for its might and beauty. It is 25.0 m high, with a trunk of 166 cm in diameter, and mighty spreading crown reaching a diameter of 25 m. A visual assessment of the aboveground organs of a woody plant (trunk, crown, buttresses) suggested that this oak is in its natural state. Its age was estimated to be about 450 years. It can be assumed that when St. Petersburg was founded, it was already a fairly large tree over a hundred years old. Studies of dendrochronological series for 1827–2023 revealed a fairly high variability in the annual rings width with a disruption of cyclicity and a general tendency to gradual decrease in the intensity of radial growth. Floods, the proximity of groundwater and other environmental factors directly or indirectly affect the condition of trees in the coastal zone. It is very important to preserve for future generations such ancient, veteran and historical trees as English oak.