Posts Tagged ‘Tree’

The Humble Christmas Tree

Monday, December 15th, 2008

Every year large evergreens invade our homes during the month of December. The Christmas tree is a long standing tradition around the world but what do we actually know about this family favourite?…

Traditionally the Christmas tree is an evergreen coniferous tree which is cut and brought into the house. Today it is the fir (Abies), which has the benefit of not shedding its needles when they dry out, as well as retaining good foliage colour and scent. The tree is then decorated with lights and decorations and a star or angel is placed on the top to symbolise the star of Bethlehem or a host of angels from the Christian Nativity.

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Humans and Trees: A Shared History

Friday, March 28th, 2008

Trees have been around much, much longer than people have.

The first real species of tree was called Archaeopteris, and it evolved approximately 370 million years ago. Over many years, other species of tree followed. At one point, before the continents broke apart, almost all of the earth’s land mass was covered by trees. Trees helped encourage the evolution of new and more complex species of animals, by changing oxygen into carbon dioxide and by forming new habitats that encouraged the growth of biodiversity.

It’s no wonder, then, that trees have played such a vital role in the human imagination. Trees can live much longer than humans-they are taller than us, and seem older and sometimes wiser than us. (more…)

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How to Plant a Tree

Friday, February 15th, 2008

Planting a tree sounds pretty self-explanatory. All you have to do is a dig a hole, insert the tree, and cover up the roots, right? Well, actually it’s a little bit more complicated than that. Much like baby humans, baby trees are more fragile than their adult counterparts, and need a nurturing environment in order to grow healthy and strong. (more…)

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So what is a Sitka Spruce?

Monday, January 7th, 2008

Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis) is part of the family of coniferous trees called Pinaceae. The tree takes it name from the Sitka Sound area of Alaska where the tree originates. It is now found all over Northern Europe as well as the west coast of the USA as far south as California.

It was introduced to the UK in 1831 by David Douglas as an exotic tree due to its height. Originally into in many parks and gardens up and down the country but now it can be found in many woodlands.

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