British Tree Association » Online Arboretum

Bid to save rare trees in Norfolk

admin — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:43:22 +0000

Black poplars were once one of our commonest species. Their springy wood was used for making everything from arrows to carriage wheels in the Middle Ages.

But female trees were regarded as a nuisance because of the clouds of fluffy seed they produce each summer.

And over the centuries, they have been weeded out until just a few hundred survive. Today most remaining black poplars are males, meaning the species is in danger of extinction.

Last year 17 male trees were found beside the Relief Channel , near King’s Lynn, by the Environment Agency.

Now a 3ft-high female tree has been planted nearby, in the hope the first green shoots of love will flourish.

EA technical officer Julia Massey said: “We were disappointed that none of the trees found on our land were female.

Read the full article on the EDP website.

Tree worth £500,000 ‘discovered’

admin — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:37:12 +0000

A tree in Surrey has been valued at £500,000 by the county council.

The Oak in Weybridge has been assessed according to its size, health, history and how many people live nearby.

The tree is thought to be about 300 years old but Surrey County Council said it would not be able to get an exact figure without damaging it.

Under a new valuation system brought in by the authority, the link between high value trees and subsidence must be proved before they can be felled.

Trees are often cut down after being blamed for subsidence, when other factors may be responsible.

Full article from the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7506610.stm

Apple Trees

admin — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:42:39 +0000

The tree species Malus domestica produces apples, of which 55 million tonnes of apples were grown worldwide in 2005, with a value of about $10,000,000,000. The tree originated from Asia, where its wild ancestor is still found today. There are more than 7,500 known cultivars of apples resulting in range of desired characteristics.

English Oak Tree

admin — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 13:56:10 +0000

Also known as the Pedunculate Oak, this tree is native to most of Europe, and to Asia Minor to the Caucasus, and also to parts of North Africa.

It is the type species of the genus (the species by which the oak genus Quercus is defined), and a member of the white oak section Quercus section Quercus.

It is a large deciduous tree that grows to upwards of 90 feet, with lobed and nearly sessile (very short-stalked) leaves 3 inches long. Flowering takes place in mid spring, and their fruit, called acorns, ripen by autumn of the same year. The acorns are just under one inch long, pedunculate (having a peduncle or acorn-stalk, 1-2 inches long) with one to four acorns on each peduncle.