New trees for the ex prime minister

A new batch of centenary trees is on its way to join former Georgia prime minister’s private dendrological park.

For now, a giant magnolia – one measuring in at 37 meters long and weighing 220 tons – has been transported to the Black Sea coast and is waiting for when the weather is right for it to be ferried to Shekvetili, the village where the dendrological park is located.

Apart from the magnolia, up to ten other ancient trees, including conifers, have been marked out to move to the ex prime minister’s park, and massive preparations involving cranes, dump trucks and power shovels have been underway since yesterday in the village of Kvemo Natanebi to start the transportation.

What it took to transport the magnolia?

As the magnolia moved along the Batumi-Kobuleti highway, centenarians lining the road had to have their branches trimmed to make way for the giant tree. Quite a number of absolutely healthy eucalypt limbs got hacked off in the process.

• The progress of the tree along the highway caused a kilometer-long traffic jam.
• Power was cut off on the main railway line for two hours.

Last spring, the ex prime minister had a tuliptree – a giant of 650 tons – moved to his dendrological park.