Trees act as the life blood of the world offering oxygen, nutrients, and homes to people and animals around the globe. To celebrate all that trees do for us, Schreiner University has teamed up with the Arbor Day Foundation to educate, encourage, and establish the importance of arboriculture, and maintain the beautification of our campus.
"Trees talk to each other, remember things and make friends... In a new book by forester Peter Wohlleben, The Hidden Life of Trees, he explains that trees have social networks that scientists call the 'Wood Wide Web'. Yes, really. 'They can count, learn and remember; nurse sick neighbors; warn each other of danger by sending electrical signals across a fungal network known as the 'Wood Wide Web', he explains, 'and, for reasons unknown, they keep the ancient stumps of long-felled companions alive for centuries by feeding them a sugar solution through their roots.' Trees even help out others of different species."
Image Credit: An Darach Forest Therapy
"Methuselah is the oldest living tree in the world and is said to be 4,855 years old. The ancient Great Basin bristlecone pine stands in a secret location within the Methuselah Trail in the Inyo National Forest White Mountains in California, USA.
The US Forest Service doesn’t tell visitors precisely where Methuselah stands, nor does the organisation release photographs of the ancient tree. This is done to protect the tree from tourists who could otherwise damage the old-timer and weaken its roots."
-Toby Saunders, BBC Science Focus
Image Credit: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Antarctica!
"There are no trees or shrubs, and only two species of flowering plants are found: Antarctic hair grass (Deschampsia antarctica) and Antarctic pearlwort (Colobanthus quitensis). These occur on the South Orkney Islands, the South Shetland Islands and along the western Antarctic Peninsula."
Image Credit: Antarctic Landscape, Oceanwide Expeditions
"More than a half-century ago, NASA astronaut Stuart Roosa, the command module pilot for the Apollo 14 mission and a former U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Services smoke jumper, carried tree seeds into lunar orbit. The Apollo 14 Moon Trees were grown into seedlings by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Services and eventually disseminated to national monuments and dignitaries around the world, with a large number distributed as part of the nation’s bicentennial event."
Image Credit: Jesse Berry on Wikipedia
Trees talk and share resources right under our feet, using a fungal network nicknamed the Wood Wide Web. Some plants use the system to support their offspring, while others hijack it to sabotage their rivals.
Students, faculty and staff came together to plant trees on campus in celebration of Arbor Day!
Image Credit: Lisa McCormick
Students, faculty and staff came together to plant trees on campus in celebration of Arbor Day!
Image Credit: Lisa McCormick
Students, faculty and staff came together to plant trees on campus in celebration of Arbor Day!
Image Credit: Lisa McCormick
Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation is the world’s largest member nonprofit dedicated to planting trees. For more information on their mission and how you can help support them, click on the icon to check out their website.
Ever curious about the trees around you? Check out the Arbor Day Foundation's tree identification field guide.
