Trip to Zhongar-Alatau Park.

“Around the city, at a great distance along the mountain slopes, there are thickets of wild apple trees, which make up entire forests here. Unlike small Caucasian wild apple trees, Kazakhstan wild apple trees are predominantly represented by large-fruited varieties that differ little from cultivated varieties. 
It was September 1st, the time for apples to ripen. One could see with one’s own eyes that here we are in a remarkable center of origin of the cultivated apple tree, where cultivated forms imperceptibly merge with wild ones, where it is difficult to distinguish a cultivated apple tree from a wild one.
Some forms in the forest are so good in fruit quality and size that they can simply be transferred to the garden. In the cultural gardens here you can see the best European assortment, starting with the famous aport.”

Nikolay Vavilov. "Five Continents"

Nurseries in Zhongar-Alatau Natural Park.

Forest nursery is located in southern part of village of Lepsi at an altitude of 1019 meters above sea level in Alakol district of the Zhetysu region.
More than 18 species of tree species are grown in the nursery.
The nursery was organized in 1970, now it is under the authority of the Lepsinsky branch of the Zhongar-Alatau Natural Park. The purpose of the Lepsinsky nursery is to grow standard planting material for landscaping settlements and reforesting.
The area of the nursery occupies 25 hectares or 0.18 square kilometers, the perimeter of the nursery is 1.8 kilometers. The following tree and shrub species and their forms are grown in the nursery: Schrenk spruce (Pícea schrenkiana), Siberian spruce (Pícea obovata), common or European spruce (Pícea abies), spherical spruce and blue or prickly spruce (Pícea pungens), Scots pine ( Pínus sylvestris), thuja (Thuja occidentalis), thuja, juniper (Juníperus), birch (Betula pendula), oak (Quercus), elm (Ulmus), poplar (Populus), yellow acacia (Caragana arborescens), Elaeagnus, Malus sieversii, Malus domestica, Chestnut (Castanea), Crataegus sanguinea, Tilia platyphúllos, Viburnum (Viburnum), white willow (Salix), maple (Acer), cherry Prunus subg. Cerasus), Sogdian ash (Fraxinus sogdiana Bunge).
The capacity of the Lepsinsky branch nursery is 48,063,000 pieces - standard planting material and 41,592,000 pieces - non-standard planting material. Tree and shrub planting material is grown annually. Watering in the nursery is by irrigation ditch.
In the Lepsinsky nursery you can get acquainted with the technology of growing Sieversii apple trees and the main measures for sowing and caring for young plants. Here they are trying to preserve the Sivers apple tree, which has existed since the time of the dinosaurs and has survived all natural disasters, and to increase its number.
There is a nursery in the Zhongar-Alatau Nature Park and in the Sarkand branch with an area of 29 hectares. The capacity of the Sarkand branch nursery is 120,415,000 pieces - standard planting material and 85,521,000 pieces - non-standard planting material.
Geographic coordinates of nursery in Lepsi: N45°31'02 E80°36'24

Authority:
Alexander Petrov.
https://zhongaralataugnpp.kz/ru/glavnaya-stranicha/

 Pphotos by:
Alexander Petrov.