I thought I’d share a bit about my love of trees and some of the reasons why they are so amazing. They are an important feature of the reserve at Lake Vyrnwy and much more important to life on Earth than many people realise.
Currently, we have around 3 trillion trees on Earth. This may seem a large number but this is less than half of the number which is estimated for 12,000 years ago. It is thought that there are 60,065 known varieties of tree currently surviving (Journal of Sustainable Forestry, April 2017).
The largest tree on earth is a Sequoia Sempervirens at 115.7M. As well as being the biggest, pine trees are also amongst the most successful; they can be found on every continent on Earth, with the exception of Antarctica.
Here at Vyrnwy, we have the tallest tree in England and Wales at 60.6m, which is a Douglas fir. You will find it close to a 50ft sculpture made from the stump of what was (jointly) the tallest in the UK at 63.7m.
Trees also support a great deal of biodiversity. In a 10 year study, with almost 70,000 observations of over 900 species of flora and fauna, researchers from Stanford University found that biodiversity is greatly increased in areas with more tree cover. They discovered that planting one tree in a pasture can raise bird species from just an occasional visitor to 80 different species (this continues to increase with additional trees but at a slower rate).
Trees also communicate. Some use chemicals to transmit signals through the air to ‘warn’ other trees of threats. They are also linked through a symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizal fungi on their roots helping them increase absorption of water and nutrients. This network of roots and fungi link together to create a net of communication across entire forests. Apple trees have even been found to emit chemicals which attract caterpillar eating birds when under attack.
They produce oxygen, absorb harmful carbon dioxide and help clean the air. They even produce beneficial chemicals known as phytoncides which have been shown to help reduce anxiety, relieve stress, fight cancer and lower blood pressure as they increase serotonin levels and reduce levels of cortisol in the human body.
Even dead trees are beneficial, as they slowly release nitrogen and provide habitats for up to 40 percent of woodland life.
In short, trees really do deserve our respect and protection.
Jampa King, Membership Development Officer
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