Things We Heart – June 2019

We’ve rounded up some of the best tree stuff on the web for your enjoyment. Check out this month’s highlights below:

French-American Friendship Tree Dies

An oak that was meant to represent the French-American alliance, gifted by France’s President Macron to President Trump, died just a year after being planted. Immediately following a ceremonial planting on the White House lawn the tree was removed and quarantined. This is a normal process to ensure foreign bacteria wouldn’t invade the area. Unfortunately, it didn’t survive quarantine and will be replaced. Read about what happened.

Forests: An Alternative to Traditional Burial

In a forest south of Silicon Valley, a new start-up called Better Place Forests is hoping to change the thought process around end-of-life planning and the death-services industry by providing an alternative to expensive graveyard burials. “We’re trying to redesign the entire end-of-life experience,” said Sandy Gibson, the chief executive of Better Place. Mr. Gibson’s company is buying forests, arranging conservation easements intended to prevent the land from ever being developed, and then selling people the right to have their cremated remains mixed with fertilizer and fed to a particular tree at its roots. Learn more about this nature-friendly burial option.

Tracking Exceptional Trees in Hawaii

According to the state of Hawaii, all trees are important, but some are truly exceptional and have landed on The Outdoor Circle’s – Exceptional Tree Map of Hawaii. There are certain requirements to attain this designation, according to the state’s Exceptional Tree Act. If it meets enough of these standards, it just might be exceptional. Read more about these trees.

As it turns out, an exceptionally large Banyan tree in Lahaina on the island of Maui is on this list of exceptional trees, and the Tree Care Industry Association has ties to it. When planted in 1973, this tree stood at just eight feet tall. The Banyan has since grown by dropping roots from its branches. As a result, these roots then became additional trunks over the process of time. Today, it stands over 60 feet high. It has 16 major trunks in addition to the massive original trunk. Because of its size it shades nearly two-thirds of an acre! Those who visit may notice a plaque indicating that the National Arborist Association (now TCIA) dedicated it in 1982 to honor the town’s efforts in preserving this fine specimen.

Scroll to the top of this post for a photo of the Lahaina Banyan tree in all of its sizeable glory.

Image Credits:

Lahaina Banyan – TCIA

NAA Plaque at Lahaina Banyan – TCIA

Oak cross section – “My little star..” by 😉 SHAGGY is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0