May 2021
Trees ... continued
Vol. 1
by Ann McEnroy When I was in Australia, about twenty years ago, I saw a documentary movie at the information centre about the ancient forest where they found the oldest trees in the world. They described how scientists were brought in, blindfolded by helicopter, so that the exact location would be kept secret. Around 1994 a bushwalker discovered this tree belonging to a 200 million year old plant family. Last year firefighters saved those Wollemi Pines from fires.. We went to the National forest park in the Blue Mountains to see the refreshing Eucalyptus forest. There was a blueish haze overhead, caused by the Eucalyptus fumes rising, the scent of eucalyptus permeated the air. Some of those trees were huge,one such was a tourist attraction,in I think a place called the Cathedral of Ferns. Tasmania has the world’s tallest Eucalyptus.
California is home to the largest living thing on earth, a giant Redwood known as General Sherman 36 feet wide,52,500cubic feet,and about 2000 years old.There are many gigantic Redwoods in The National Park there. Vancouver is another place one finds spectacular trees, we were like midges beside the Cedars.The beauty of the ‘Fall’ in Canada ,with the array of colours on the Maple Leaf trees is breathtaking. So many more trees in our beautiful world.
Our own story begins with a trip to Dublin for one of our daughter’s graduation, (I cannot remember which one.) Only two allowed to the reception, so we left the other children with our friend Ann in the gate lodge of Cappagh Orthopaedic Hospital, of which she was matron. While there they gathered conkers from beneath the fine chestnut trees in the avenue. They collected a bucket full which they took home to play with. I wondered if any could be planted. Brian planted a number of the best of them in a pot of compost, threw the remainder in a trench when they were no longer being played with. The ones in the pot developed poorly but the ones in the trench bloomed into fine saplings.
We had a planting ceremony, each child planted one as did I, Brain the rest, (twenty in all), along by the road, our dog Bonsai in attendance! each one photographed. For many years we enjoyed a row of lovely Chestnut trees, so admired were they that the rest of the road was lined likewise by a developer. A name was being chosen for our road a few years ago when codes were being assigned for satellite navigation. Chestnut Lane it was called. Alas a canker disease came into the country attacking Chestnut trees, and ours are suffering. Perhaps some will survive.
We all love trees and have at least fifty in our grounds. There was only one when we came almost forty years ago. Brian planted them: Oaks, Sycamores, Ash, Mountain Ash, Walnuts, Hollies, Beech, Acer, Laurels, and a Golden Ozer as well as a plum tree and apple trees. There’s plenty of birdsong.