Is a tree, by virtue of the length of time under
stress to
attain champion size, more likely to be stress
tolerant?
"I would have to say yes because the tree has
survived
the test of time and during that period of time it
has had
to grow during stress periods."
Francis R. Gouin, Ph.D.
Little
Known or
Interesting Factoids
About Trees
And
Tree Physiology
Trees
both produce AND consume oxygen.
Young forests capture more carbon from the
atmosphere than old forests.
Old
forests have more stored carbon in the biomass than young
forests.
The food that
trees produce for themselves are sugars.
The
purpose of photosynthesis is to capture and store
energy.
Green
light is the only part of the visible light spectrum that
plants can’t use.
The
timing of Autumn color change is controlled by lengthening
nights.
Conifers lose needles each fall, just the
same as broad-leaf trees.
Trees
grow TWO rings each year, one in the spring and another
during the summer.
Swamp
trees don’t necessarily prefer swamps.
Tree
species have highly variable requirements for light,
nutrients, and moisture.
Oceans
produce more oxygen and store more carbon than forests.
GLOBAL FORESTSAwesome
Facts
Killer trees feasting on
bugs "Beware the killer pine!" Ecologists have found
that white pines in Ontario work as a team with mushrooms to
eat insects alive. Beige mushrooms release a toxin that
paralyzes tiny springtails that live in the soil. The
mushrooms then grow inside the springtails, eating them alive.
The mushrooms are attached to the roots of the pine trees, and
feed nutrients, such as nitrogen, from the insects to the
tree. The trees produce sugars, and return these to the
mushrooms. This is the first time that trees have been found
acting as predators.
African tree in Costa
Rica Scientists say that a
tree found in Costa Rica which was previously thought to be a
type of mahogany, has been re-classified as a member of the
Lepidobotryaceae - a plant group found only in Africa. The
tree is probably a descendent of trees that grew 100 million
years ago on a large landmass that eventually split into
continents.
First modern tree takes a bow in Moroccan
desert In Morocco, tree fossils have been found buried
beneath the desert. The fossils indicate that millions of
years ago, a tree called Archeopteris which looks like a
modern tree but has a different system of reproducing, was the
most abundant tree in the world and had a major effect on the
earth's atmosphere and ecology. During the period when
Archeopteris was most plentiful, oxygen levels in the
atmosphere rose as carbon dioxide levels fell. These trees
also added nutrients to streams and their root systems helped
to enhance soil
chemistry.
Fog-trapping redwoods found
crucial to forest health Researchers used to think that trees' absorption
of water robs the rest of their habitat of water rather than
restoring water to it. However, plant ecologist Dr. Todd
Dawson has published a study that shows that giant redwood
trees' mechanism of collecting water from fog provides large
amounts of water to both the trees and the ground around them.
The redwoods catch fog water in their needles and branches.
The water then drips from the branches and runs down the
trunk, providing water for the tree and also to the ground
surrounding it. This water can be crucial to the survival of
other plants growing around the tree and also to the animals
that live in the forest. This study shows the importance of
the redwood population to the health of the rest of the
species in the area.
Water is awesome because it can
be pulled up a tree
Subalpine larch, a
deciduous conifer tree, turns a
as tall as 100 metres (330
feet)! spectacular
shade of yellow in the autumn prior to
shedding its leaves. This tree species lives near the
tops of mountains and can live for over 1,000
years!
Trees are Bad
Parents Two
scientists from Indiana University have discovered that trees
are bad parents! Alissa Packer and Keith Clay wondered
why there are so many different types of trees in natural
forests and set out to discover the answer. They noticed that
seedlings of a tree did badly if they sprouted near their
parent tree, and that seedlings doing well were several metres
away from their parent. To find out why this was happening,
the researchers took a soil sample from near the parent tree,
and a sample from far away from the parent tree and tried to
grow seedlings in it. The seedlings planted in the soil from
far away did well but the seedlings planted in the soil from
near the adult tree died. The reason for this is that adult
trees attract pathogens, or diseases, which specifically kill
their offspring if they root nearby. Offspring of other trees,
however, will live in that soil. Trees may not be deliberately
killing their young, but they attract diseases that
do!
Microbes in the
soilbeneath a parent
tree may kill most of the tree's seedlings in
that particular area. This would clear the way for unaffected
seeds of other species to take root and flourish near that
tree, thereby promoting diversity of trees in forests,
according to a study published in the March 16 issue of the
journal Nature by IU biologists Alissa Packer and Keith
Clay.
"We showed that a soil
pathogen causes the patterns of seedling mortality that we
observed in a temperate tree, the black cherry -- high
mortality close to the parent tree and low mortality farther
away," said Clay, professor of biology. "Animal predators and
herbivores may be less important than microbial pathogens in
the soil in creating the diversity of tree species in
temperate forests. Our results provide the most complete
evidence that native pathogens influence tree
distributions."
This work has both national
and international significance because it extends to temperate
forests one of the best-known ideas in ecology, the
Janzen-Connell hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, the
diversity of tropical forests is enhanced by the presence of
host-specific natural enemies that kill offspring around
parental trees, creating opportunities for other species to
become established.
"Our study demonstrates for
the first time that the same process can occur in temperate
forests," Clay said. Black cherry (Prunus serotina) produces
large numbers of bird-distributed fruits throughout the
forests of eastern North America.
Packer and Clay found
that the soil microbe Pythium spp. is what makes it so
difficult for black cherry seedlings to survive within a few
meters of their parent tree, but Pythium has no effect on most
other common tree species.
Giant sequoia is
world's biggest tree Dating back to around 200 B.C., and over
83 metres tall, the largest tree in the world can be found in
Californian's Sequoia National Park. It is called the "General
Sherman Tree" and is a giant sequoia. Giant sequoias do not
grow as tall as redwoods do, but their trunks are much larger.
Some of their trunks measure 30 metres around at the base! The
name "sequoia" comes from the name of a Cherokee Indian who
invented a written alphabet for his native
language.
World's tallest tree
named New measurements
taken in March of an extremely old redwood tree in the
Montgomery Woods in Northern California have found it to be
112.08 meters tall (367.72 ft), officially making it the
tallest living thing in the world. The giant tree is called
"the Mendocino Tree" and is believed to be between 600 and 800
years old.
Israeli researchers
say Israeli scientists have
developed a way to use a gene known as CBD to accelerate the
growth of plants and trees. The researchers who want to help
market the product hope that the gene can be used to restore
rainforests and aid in producing food for the world's growing
population.
Scientist's research on the DNA of trees bad
news for thieves Thieves
can make thousands of dollars by illegally cutting down trees
and stealing them, and until recently, the RCMP and forestry
officials have had a difficult time catching the suspects or
even having enough evidence to convict known suspects. Thanks
to Eleanor White, a federal government biologist, and her
ground-breaking research in molecular biology, samples of tree
DNA can now be used to track down stolen lumber and prove what
tree it came from.
The tallest trees in the world are (1)
the
coasta
Paper can only be recycled 3 times,
redwoods of California, (2)
Mt. Ash, a eucalypt from
because fibres get shorter
and weaker
southeastern Australia, and
(3) the Douglas-fir and
each time the paper
is recycled.
Sitka spruce trees of British
Columbia and Washington
State.
Beetles killing
California oaks An infestation of beetles is killing Northern
California oaks. Two types of beetles are the culprits, the
Western oak bark beetle and the oak ambrosia beetle. The
Western oak bark beetle burrows under the bark of trees until
the bark falls off, and the oak ambrosia beetle leaves deadly
fungus along its tunnels within the tree. Researchers are
unsure why these infestations are occurring, but suggest that
climate change has weakened the trees that the beetles are
targeting.
Life on the edge A number of scientists are conducting research in
the Australian rainforest to try and determine the role of
ecology in the evolution and biological diversity of
rainforests. These scientists believe that ecological change,
rather than the geographical separation of populations, might
be responsible for the development of new species. The
scientists' theory is that ecological change causes organisms
to adapt to new conditions. This ultimately leads to
evolutionary change. Further research based on this theory is
planned, with particular emphasis on examining the edges of
rainforests where they meet the
savannah.
Building a better
forest Research is
currently being conducted into helping the forest industry
build better forests after logging. James Ehnes, a botanist,
is examining how vegetation grows back in areas burned by
forest fires and comparing his findings to areas left after
logging. He has already discovered that burnt soil is
generally more fertile than logged soil. Forest fires are a
natural part of the forest ecology, and some types of forests
will actually start to become unhealthy after going too long
without a fire. Researchers are now experimenting with
imitating some of the aspects of a fire that are thought to
contribute to forest health, and applying them to logging
practices.
The oldest living organisms in
the world are the
Some
trees can move water from their roots to their
Bristlecomb pines of the mountain regions of
California
leaves at a rate of 25 millimetres (1 inch) per
second.
and Nevada. They can live for greater
than 5,000 years
and in the course of their
lifetime they will see
1,000,000 sunrises!
Scientists explore
redesigning trees Forestry scientists at a conference at
Oxford University are exploring the issue of genetically
modifying trees. The forestry industry hopes that by
genetically modifying trees, they stand to make more profit.
Industry also argues that some types of genetic modifications
could be beneficial to the environment since this would mean
fewer chemicals would need to be used in the processing of
wood products. Others are concerned about possible negative
impacts on the environment due to genetic
modifications.
Study finds 'weed
tree' plays crucial forest role An ongoing study based at Williams Lake which is
looking into the effects of logging on forest bird species has
found that certain "keystone species" are crucial to the
biodiversity of the forest because other species are dependent
on them. Three of the key species are trembling aspens,
northern flickers and red-naped sapsuckers. The two bird
species are important because they drill the holes in trees
which many other species nest in, and the aspen is the tree in
which the holes are most frequently drilled. Forestry
companies regard the aspen as a garbage tree because it is not
worth much money; they do not include aspens when they replant
a clearcut. The lack of diversity in the replantings could
have a negative effect on biodiversity in the area. The study
will continue to determine what, if any, effect differing
forestry practices will have on bird species as an indicator
of forest wildlife health.
Survival of the
weakest Scientists have released the results of a study
which suggests that the small amount of seeds produced by
plants located in the rainforest is the source of the huge
diversity of life found in tropical rainforests. The report
suggests that gaps in the forest are being occupied at random,
by whatever seed happens to be there at the time. This is
possible because plants in any given area do not produce
enough seeds to fill that area up with offspring. This
strategy not only gives weaker species a chance to germinate,
but also promotes a high level amount of diversity even in a
small area.
GM trees take
root Genetically modified
trees have many advantages, but the World Wide Fund for Nature
is concerned about the risks involved and is arguing for a
world-wide moratorium on selling the
trees.
One winter rye plant can grow
over 600
kilometers Black
spruce grows almost as far north as the Arctic
Ocean.
(372 miles) of roots in one
growing season.
The mighty
falling Oak trees in Europe
have been ravaged by disease and decline over the last decade.
Between 1992 and 1997, 51 percent of European oaks
deteriorated significantly. Although oaks have declined in
large numbers in the past, the reason for their recent
degeneration still remains a mystery. Air pollution, fungi,
drought and insect pests are thought to be to blame, though
the causes for decline differ from country to country.
Researchers found that oak trees suffered most on soils that
had nutrient imbalances, but the worst declines were in
northern Spain and southwest France where there is relatively
little air pollution, and nobody knows
why.
Building a better
butternut Scientists are trying
to save butternut trees from a fungal canker which has
infected up to 90 per cent of the butternut trees that grow in
Ontario. The canker fungus kills trees by circling the trunk
and cutting off the flow of nutrients from the roots. DNA
evidence suggests the canker originated in Asia. Researchers
are attempting to grow trees resistant to the fungus by taking
samples from trees which appear to be resistant, and growing
seedlings in laboratories and greenhouses. They hope that some
trees will have a genetic resistance to the
canker.
The arbutus tree is the only native evergreen broadleaf
in Canada.
The roots of many trees
stretch out four to seven
times It
is also known as the Madrone (Strawberry Tree) or Naked
Indian farther than their leafy
branches.
Devastating
diversity New forms of the Dutch elm fungus, which is
carried by beetles who burrow beneath the bark of elm trees,
are combining and are making it more difficult to combat the
disease. The original fungus spread from Europe to North
America and Central Asia in the 1920's and 30's. Now, the
North American form and the European form have met in Central
Europe. Not knowing how this new form of the Dutch elm fungus
will develop makes breeding disease-resistant elms very
difficult.
Treatment
has promise against Dutch elm disease Most
of Canada's elm trees have been killed over the years by the
tiny bark beetle, which carries a fungus that infects the
tree. Recently, however, a pathologist in Toronto has
discovered a non-toxic compound that may save the trees. This
is extremely good news for places like Winnipeg, Saskatoon and
Regina, where the tree is one of few that can survive the
harsh winters and provide large amounts of shade in the
summers. The compound would be injected into elm trees and
would stimulate the tree's own natural immune
system.
A
radical plan to preserve the beloved elm
A project to breed an elm tree
that is naturally resistant to Dutch elm disease has begun at
the University of Guelph's Arboretum. Dutch elm disease is a
fungus which is carried from tree to tree by the bark beetle,
and is deadly to elms. The researchers hope that they can
develop trees which can naturally produce high enough levels
of anti-fungal compounds called phytoalexins that they can
survive the disease. The project is expected to take about
thirty years.
Tree
Bugs Foresters in Paris are placing computer
chips into trees which will hold data on the tree's age,
health and location. Chips will be placed in 90,000 trees
throughout the city Tree rings tell of
Pre-European drought A
University of Regina researcher has found evidence in tree
rings that extreme droughts hit Saskatchewan in the 18th and
19th centuries and lasted longer than droughts after European
settlement of the area. The driest year-long period stretched
from August 1793 to July
1794.
The largest known Douglas-fir
lives on Vancouver
Did
you know that every day there are about 72
million
Island, is almost 1,000 years old
and is 89 metres
newspapers sold in Canada and the United
States?
(291 feet) tall! The top of this
tree is broken
but it
It takes about 100,000 trees to supply these
daily
was believed to be 10
metres (33 feet) taller, which
newspapers. Let's hope most of those papers are
would have it 99 metres
(320 feet)
tall! recycled
so that we don't have to waste trees and fill
up our landfill sites with more garbage.
Trees from the mists
of prehistory Although
trees can move us towards the future as they are planted and
grow tall, trees can also take us back into the past, as many
species live for hundreds of years. Three such impressive
species of ancient trees are the dawn redwood, the Ginkgo
biloba and the bristlecone pine. The dawn redwood was common
across North America millions of years ago, then it slowly
vanished and was seen only in the fossil records. But.
astonishingly, a small remnant of these trees were found in
China in the 1940s and they have since been widely grown and
distributed. They are deciduous conifer trees with green
needles and a tawny reddish trunk. They grow fast and are big
trees, not the tree for a small garden! The Gingko biloba is
considered the most ancient of trees as it has remained
unchanged for over 200 million years. Gingko trees, like the
dawn redwoods, also grew across North America at one time but
then slowly died out. Eventually, they were found only in
China where they were cultivated in sacred groves. The Gingko
is also a large deciduous tree, whose leaves are distinctively
fan-shaped. It is commonly planted along city streets, as it
is very resistant to pollution and car fumes. Gingko biloba is
also called the maidenhair tree". Bristlecone pine trees only
grow high in the Sierra mountains of California. They are
coniferous trees, with soft richly-green needles and very
twisted trunks and branches. Bristlecone pines live longer
than other trees. Some specimens are well over 4,000 years old
- meaning that they were already 1,000 years old when the
pyramids were being built in ancient
Egypt!
How the north was
won New evidence from
researchers studying primeval forest ecology on Axel Heiberg
Island in the Canadian Arctic has given scientists a good idea
of how pine trees drove redwoods from the forests they once
inhabited. The evidence comes from a large area of preserved
specimens of an ancient forest located on the island. More
than 40 million years ago the Arctic was much warmer and it
contained forests made up of temperate species such as
redwoods. The warmth came mainly from warm ocean currents. Now
the area is much colder with a tundra environment, and trees
like pine dominate. Researchers say that between 40-35 million
years ago, the environment started to change, resulting in a
cooling of the climate and a change in distribution of plant
species. They believe that factors such as colder ocean
currents and geographical changes contributed to the shift
from a temperate to tundra environment. Recent results also
indicate that a root fungus which provides essential nutrients
to many plants may have been unable to function in the colder
temperatures, resulting in the plants dying off. The
researchers theorize that only the plants who depended on
fungus that could function in the cold temperatures
survived.
