Large part of trees in Ukraine’s flooded areas to die out - ecologists

That’s according to the Headquarters for the Liquidation of the Consequences of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station explosion, Ukrinform reports.

According to the experts with the Southern Forestry Office, up to 30% of forest plantations die out if they are flooded for up to 10 days, and when the flooding last longer (from 10 to 20 days), the likelihood of these consequences rises up to 70%.

The loss of biodiversity in forests and adjacent landscapes in the affected areas in the south of Ukraine is already happening, the report says.

"Indeed, as a result of the flooding, most likely, part of the birch and oak forests will die, including some of the largest giant oaks in Kherson region, which grow in the Zburyiv Forestry along the Dnipro banks," the report reads.

Conifers also have little chance of survival as they remain partially submerged or in wet soil for quite a long time.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on the night of June 6, the Russian army blew up the dam of the Kakhovka HPP, causing the flooding of parts of Kherson and Mykolaiv regions and, at the same time, the critical shallowing of the Kakhovka Reservoir.