The east of Liepāja's Raiņa park is home to a grove of huge and beautiful black alders, a species which seldom strikes people as one producing great and impressive trees.
Latvian Radio was introduced to the grove by Andris Maisiņš, representative of the Nature Conservation Agency.
The largest tree at the grove died in 2012 after a massive winter storm, said Maisiņš. Its girth measured 4.29m and its crown was the biggest in Latvia.
The park, named after the esteemed Latvian poet, was once called simply "The Alder Grove". According to Maisiņš, it holds about 200 alders aged about 100, which is close to the maximum age of these trees.
"Here at the park we have about 40 black alders that are protected. They measure at least 2.5m at breast height," said Maisiņš.
