what can be done has lived for over 3000 yearsweighs over 150 tons and can sit almost unnoticed in your home. local park? Giant sequoias (known as giant sequoias in the UK) are the tallest; the heaviest Needless to say, all living things that have ever lived on Earth are Live long than other species.
my team’s new research Researchers who were the first to study the growth of giant sequoias in the UK say they seem to be doing surprisingly well. The trees at two of his three sites we investigated were average growth rate About their native US counterparts. These remarkable trees are planted to help sequester carbon, but perhaps more importantly, they are becoming a striking and admired part of the UK landscape. is.
Giant sequoias have evolved extraordinary resilience in order to live long lives.among them From Northern Californiathey occupy an ecological niche in mountainous areas between 1,400 and 2,100 meters above sea level.
their thick, spongy bark It protects against fire and disease, and can withstand harsh winters and dry summers.Despite these challenges, these trees absorb and store CO₂ is emitted faster and in greater quantities than most of the world’s forests, and even rainforests store up to five times more carbon per hectare.But climate change means California’s giant sequoias under threat Extreme droughts and fires are more frequent. About 80,000 wild trees remain, more than 10 percent of which have died. One fire In 2020 alone.
Giant tree from America
What is less well known is 500,000 Sequoias In Britain they are scattered throughout the landscape (wild and botanical). So, how healthy are the giant sequoias in the UK? To answer this, my team used the following techniques. terrestrial laser scanning Measure the size and volume of the giant sequoia.
The laser sends out 500,000 pulses per second, and as the pulses hit the tree, the 3D location of each “hit” is precisely recorded. This provides an unprecedentedly detailed map of tree structure that can be used to estimate volume and mass, effectively estimating the weight of a tree. Once you know how old a tree is, you can estimate how fast it is growing and storing carbon.
As part of a master’s project with former student Ross Holland, together with colleagues from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, we measured giant sequoias at three locations.benmore botanical garden In Scotland, cue wakehurst in Sussex and Havering Country Park In Essex. These sites span the UK’s wettest (Benmore) and driest (Havering) climates, allowing us to assess how rainfall affects growth.
The fastest-growing trees we measured grew at about the same rate as California, gaining 70 cm in height and storing 160 kg of carbon per year. This is about twice as much as wood. British oak.The Benmore tree is already one of the tallest trees in the UK, at 55 meters tall and the current record holder is 66 meters of Douglas fir In Scotland. Because sequoias grow so quickly, they could earn that title in the next 10 to 20 years. And these trees are “only” about 170 years old. No tree native to the UK is taller than about 47 meters. We also found significant differences in growth rates across the UK. It grows fastest in the north, where the climate is humid.
So how did these trees get here? collection of rare plants In the 18th and 19th centuries, this was big business, primarily as a display of wealth and taste. Giant sequoias were first introduced in 1853 by a Scottish grain merchant and avid amateur collector. patrick matthew, who gave it to a friend.Later in the same year, commercial childcare worker william robb They brought more from California, along with a description of the giant tree from which it originated.
Giant sequoias quickly became a sensation and were planted to create impressive boulevards at the entrances of grand mansions and mansions, churchyards, parks and botanical gardens. The letters about these trees will help you know the exact age of the planted tree and allow you to calculate its growth rate.
Usually it is necessary to take a sample from the core of the tree Although necessary to obtain accurate tree age estimates, it can cause damage to the tree.
imagine their possibilities
British sequoias are less likely to grow as tall as California sequoias, which tend to grow in forests due to lightning strikes and strong winds, making them the tallest in the landscape rather than one of many sequoias. There is always a risk involved. recently, revival of planting Especially the giant sequoias in the UK. in an urban environment.This is because it has the potential to store carbon, and perhaps people really like them.
We urgently need to understand how Britain’s trees cope in the face of catastrophe. long hot and dry summer, stormy winter,and Increased risk of fire.Global trade is also expanding spread of disease Among the plants. More research is needed to consider the impact that planting non-native species like giant sequoias have on native habitats and biodiversity, but our research shows that they have so far They are clearly very happy with the climate.
More importantly, we need to remember that trees are not just carbon stores. Valuing trees only as carbon rods would lead to thousands of hectares of monoculture, which is bad for nature.
But these giant sequoias are here to stay and are becoming a beautiful and resilient part of our landscape.
matthias disneyDepartment of Geography, Leader in Remote Sensing; U.C.L. This article is republished from conversation Under Creative Commons License.read Original work.
