Tree alley - typical component of the landscape in Poland

Linden alley

An avenue or allée is road or path with a line of trees running along each side (see: Wikipedia). Tree avenues were created a beautiful shade canopy or designed to direct the eye toward some distinctive architectural building or feature, such as a chapels, churches, palaces, manor houses. In order to enhance the approach to mansions or manor houses, avenues were planted along the entrance drive. Sometimes the avenues are in rows on each side of a road between cities or villages.

Avenue of chestnuts trees

In most cases, the trees in an avenue will be all of the same species or cultivar, so as to give uniform appearance along the full length of the avenue. Trees preferred for alleys were selected for their height and speed of growth, such as poplar, beech, willow, lime, chestnut, oak or apple and other fruit trees. Shelterbelts and alley of trees were actively introduced to Polish agriculture since the 16th century. The fragmented structure of farms and a diverse topography favour the presence of small tree groups or alleys on agricultural land, especially in the central and eastern parts of Poland.

Willow alley

The woody structures such as avenues reduce diffuse pollution in ground water, improve the microclimate for crops, increase biological diversity and ameliorate the water supply. Alleys and avenues are a nutritional source for bees and to shelter crops and soil in the rural areas. They are the typical and very picturesque component of the landscape in rural areas in Poland. In recent years a lot of beautiful alleys disappeared from the landscape. There are destroyed during the widening of roads and the urban sprawl process.

Avenue of ash trees

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