Bolu Ormanlar, Anıt Ağaçlar, Endemik Bitkiler

Bolu is one of the provinces with the most beautiful forests, with its rich communities of trees and plants. Bolu forests consist of Uludağ Fir, beech, Scots pine, black pine and oak. In Bolu forests, up to an average of 1000 meters, beech, oak, Uludağ Fir, black pine, maple, elm and alders are seen. Between elevations of 1000-2000 meters, there are forests consisting of Scots pine, Uludağ fir and eastern beech. After 2000 meters, due to the harsh climate, there are some dwarf and shrub-type trees.

In the northern part of Bolu, in the upper areas of Çele and Yedigöller, there are black pine, oak, beech and fir forests up to 1000 meters, and after 1000 meters there are Scots pine, beech, fir and hornbeam forests. As one descends from the Çele Mountains to Yedigöller, species of deciduous trees such as hornbeam, alder, maple, linden, ash, cornelian cherry, cherry, elm, poplar and willow are seen.

In the Seben and Kıbrıscık areas, coniferous fir, Scots pine, black pine and juniper species suitable for the Central Anatolian steppe, and among deciduous trees, oak species and in places beech are seen. In Göynük and Mudurnu, there are generally fir, black pine, Scots pine, beech, oak and natural Turkish red pine forests. Boxwood trees are also encountered around Göynük.

According to research carried out, there are a total of 1183 herbaceous and woody plant species in Bolu. Of these plants, 88 are endemic. Among bulbous plants, especially the blue-flowered Abant Crocus (Crocus Abantensis) and the yellow-flowered Ankara Crocus (Crocus Acyrensis) are among the endemic plants seen around Bolu. In addition to these features, there are many monumental trees in the region, both for their size and their centuries-old ages. In Bolu, 8 monumental trees have been registered and taken under protection. One of these is the oak tree located in Saçcılar Village in central Bolu. It is 30 m high, 9.60 m in trunk width and approximately 1000 years old. In addition, in Mengen District, in Mamatlar Village and Örencik Plateau, there are the oldest (1000 years) and thickest-trunked oak trees in our country. The forested areas in our province's Çaydurt and Çakmaklar regions where the "ebe karaçamları" unique to Bolu are found are under protection as a "Nature Conservation Area". In addition, the forested area in the Çele region where the "Bolu fındığı," again a tree species unique to Bolu, is found densely and together is also under protection by the National Parks as a "Nature Conservation Area".

In Hocaş Village of Seben, the area where fossil trees remaining from thousands of years ago are found has also been taken under protection.

Source: Bolu Culture and Tourism Guide, 2010, Bolu Governorship Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, Bolu