Mori Forest of Diversiform-leaved Poplars (木壘胡楊林景區(qū))
Mori Forest of Diversiform-leaved Poplars |
A forest of diversiform-leaved poplars, a tenacious ancient species, can be found at the south edge of Junggar Basin, 150 km away from Mori County, covering an area of 35 square kilometers. With a history of 65 million years, the forest is the oldest primeval forest of diversiform-leaved poplars in the world, and is known as a "living fossil".
Faced with broiling heat and droughts, the forest stills stand in the desert, brimming with energy and life. The trees are described as "having the ability to grow erect for a thousand years, live for a thousand years after falling, and the life remain undying after death for another thousand years."
Far away from urban and rural areas, the forest contains about 30,000 diversiform-leaved poplars with an average age of 200-400 years. The oldest tree, known as the "ancestor tree," has lived there for over 1,000 years, with its trunk measuring 3.1 meters in diameter.