Owies szorstki (Avena strigosa Schreb.) należy do bardzo starych roślin uprawnych. W Polsce był uprawiany głównie na Podhalu do roku 1950. Obecnie znany jest tylko jako rzadki chwast zbóż jarych i roślina ruderalna. W północno- wschodniej Polsce od kilku lat obserwuje się jednak szybkie rozprzestrzenianie tego gatunku. Przeprowadzone doświadczenia poletkowe wskazują, że plony owsa szorstkiego są niższe od plonów owsa siewnego. Jednak na glebach lekkich i mniej urodzajnych różnice te są niewielkie. Biorąc pod uwagę wysokie wartości pokarmowe Avena strigosa Schreb., a także, że ta stara roślina uprawna będąca zabytkiem kultury rolniczej, zawiera wiele cennych genów - należy rozważyć (choćby na niewielką skalę) możliwość jej uprawy.
The Avena genus covers nine species in Poland, including farmed common oat (Avena sativa), wild oat (A. fatua) – a dangerous spring cereal weed, and bristle (or black) oat (A. strigosa Schreb.), a forgotten species. Bristle oat was a valuable component of common oat yield growing on the weakest soils, and it had a status of a crop plant in Poland and in many European countries till 1950s. Chemical analyses of bristle oat caryopses validated the high nutritive value of this species, which had been previously noted by the farmers of the Podhale region. On average, bristle oat contains 27–52% more protein, 14–27% more fat and 38–72% more sugars than common oat. It is good for human consumption in the form of flakes, flour and boiled grains. Bristle oat is witnessing a revival as a valuable farming species, and its crops are subsidized.
The Forest Arboretum in Kudypy is one of the seven collections of forest trees owned by the Polish State Forests. It fulfills the classification standards for botanical gardens, it is a member of the Council of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta, and a holder of an operating permit issued by the Ministry of the Environment. The Arboretum is situated in the Mazury-Podlasie Nature and Forest Region on the border of the Mazurian Lakes and the Mazurian Plain, around 6 km from Olsztyn, along the main Olsztyn–Ostróda road. Its geographic coordinates are 20º30’ E and 53º45’ N. The Arboretum occupies a ground moraine zone formed during the last glacial period (Würm glaciation). The Arboretum is found in the third and coldest climate zone of lowland Poland, which equates to USDA Frost Hardiness Zone 6a. The harsh macroclimate conditions of the Arboretum are alleviated by the microclimate of an old tree stand which offers protection against cold winds and frost, and long-lasting snow cover reduces the depth to which the soil freezes. The Arboretum in Kudypy was founded in 1989 by Olsztyn’s foresters who are members of the Polish Forest Society. It has a total area of 15.69 ha, and the Polish Flora section occupies 3.5 ha, including 0.5 ha of bog and peatland. The Arboretum features a collection of native trees, shrubs, dwarf shrubs and their diverse morphological forms, as well as selected species of protected, endangered and rare herbaceous plants. As of spring 2012, in both sections of the Arboretum there were 169 genera, 628 species and geographic varieties and 245 cultivars of trees and shrubs. The tree collections in both sections have detailed records. The health status, growth, flowering and fruiting of plants are regularly monitored, and special attention is paid to frost damage.