Latest news with #Wollemi
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Scientists Studying Earth's Trees Issued a Stark Warning to Humanity
From towering coastal redwoods to dinosaur-era Wollemi pines and firs that make the perfect Christmas trees, even our most revered woody plants are in grave danger. But the loss of these species isn't just a blow to local forests – it threatens entire ecosystems, research shows. In 2021, the State of the World's Trees report revealed a startling finding: one-third of all tree species are on the brink of extinction, totaling around 17,500 endangered tree species. This is more than double the number of all threatened mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles combined. Some tree species are so rare that only a single known individual remains, such as the solitary palm, Hyophorbe amaricaulis, in Mauritius. In a subsequent study from 2022, the same researchers issued a "warning to humanity" about the far-reaching consequences of losing these trees, backed by 45 other scientists from 20 different countries. Conservation biologist Malin Rivers from Botanic Gardens Conservation International and colleagues outline the many impacts these losses will have on our economies, livelihoods, and food. Most of our fruit comes from trees, as do many nuts and medicines, with non-timber products amounting to about US$88 billion worth of trade. In the developing world, 880 million people rely on firewood for fuel, and 1.6 billion people live within 5 kilometers (3 miles) of a forest, relying on them for food and income. All up, trees contribute about US$1.3 trillion annually to the global economy, yet we're destroying billions of them every year – clearing massive tracts of land for farming and development. Trees are each their own little worlds, teeming with all sorts of single- and multicellular-life forms, including other plants, fungi, bacteria, and animals. Lose a tree, and this entire world dies too. They often form the supportive base for the whole web of life around them. In fact, half of all the world's animals and plants rely on treed habitats. "Habitat loss is frequently tree loss, it is at the root of that when we look at extinction concerns for animals or birds," Rivers told Nature World News in 2022. "There is no way we can take care of all the other creatures there if we don't take care of the trees." As with all living systems, losing diversity makes the whole jumble of living connections more vulnerable. This is because less variation means less diversity in immune response, in genes, and responses to environmental conditions, meaning lower chances of surviving the many threats battering the complex web of interactions that is life on Earth. Some tree species provide unique interactions and can't be replaced by other species. This includes the distinctive dragonsblood trees (Dracaena cinnabari), leftover from the ancient Oligocene woodlands, which are host to many other species that are entirely dependent on them, including many other plants and the gecko that pollinates them. So the extinction of a single species can cause a massive domino effect across everything else that interacts with it, even if they're already rare. Species that rely on our dwindling forests have already declined by around 53 percent since 1970, and more forests around the world are showing signs of increasing stress. This doesn't just impact the other life trees interact with either. Trees are interwoven with Earth's soil, atmosphere, and weather, too – cleaning our air, producing oxygen, and making it rain. They store three-quarters of the world's accessible freshwater and more than half its problematic carbon dioxide. Lose enough trees and our planet's cycling of carbon, water, and nutrients will be thrown into disarray. "We're showing that diverse forests store more carbon than monocultures," Rivers told The Guardian. "That's true for many ecological functions, not just carbon capture, but providing habitat to animals, soil stabilization, resilience to pests and diseases, resilience to storms and adverse weather. By losing tree diversity, we'll also lose diversity in all organisms: birds, animals, fungi, microorganisms, insects." A few tree species are getting lucky and are able to take advantage of the rapid environmental changes we've caused, like those creeping into territory that fires have cleared. But many more are being obliterated by the same processes. Much needs to be done to combat this at a collective level, but we all can play a part by recognizing the importance of trees and fighting our own plant blindness. In 2022, researchers pointed out that fewer people than ever are taking up botanical education in the UK at a time when we need plants more than ever. We must all think of the trees. The research was published in Plants, People, Planet. An earlier version of this article was published in September 2022. Dramatic Collapse of Swiss Glacier a Chilling Warning, Experts Say South Africa Is Rising Up Out of The Ocean, Scientists Reveal An Extreme Drop in Oxygen Will Eventually Suffocate Most Life on Earth
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Dinosaurs' snack that survived T-Rex extension bears fruit for couple
One of the oldest and rarest tree species that once formed part of a dinosaur's diet is now bearing fruit for the first time, after a retired couple planted a specimen in their garden. Wollemi pines, referred to as dinosaur trees, boast a history exceeding 90 million years and were initially believed to have been wiped out by the time the last T-Rex roamed the Earth. However, a cluster of these ancient conifers was discovered in 1994 in a region 125 miles west of Sydney, Australia. Saplings and cuttings were subsequently sold worldwide, including one purchased by retired couple Pamela and Alistair Thompson. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement The couple invested £70 in an 18-inch (45.7 cm) tall sapling acquired from the Shopping Channel. In 2010, they replanted the tree in their garden in Wichenford, Malvern, Worcestershire, and following years of dedicated nurturing, it has flourished and now stands over 13 feet (4 meters) tall. READ MORE: £2.8m dream home in Britain's celeb capital up for grabs - for £10 READ MORE: Anticipation over when Costco will build and open its new Gloucester warehouse Pamela and Alistair Thompson from Wichenford are very proud of their Wollemi pine -Credit:Emma Trimble / SWNS This month, retired police officer Pamela, 75, was astonished to discover that the tree had produced fruit for the first time. Her aspiration is to propagate seeds from the evergreen tree to cultivate more of this endangered species. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement Pamela expressed her excitement, saying: "It would be amazing, absolutely amazing, to have seedlings and to propagate from the world's rarest tree. "I couldn't imagine being so lucky to do it. I saw a small tree for sale for more than £1,000 which shows just how rare they are." One of the world's rarest and oldest trees which dinosaurs used to snack on is bearing fruit for the first time after a retired couple planted it in their garden -Credit:SWNS Wollemi pines are related to monkey puzzle trees and bear both male and female fruit. Pamela, who has three-grandchildren, added: "The long pendulous fruits are actually the male cone and the globular spiky fruits are the female cones. "So what we're really hoping later in the year would be to collect and germinate some of the seeds from it. That would be really something but we will just have to wait and see.' Pamela and Alistair, 75, a retired spinal surgeon, are opening their garden to the public as part of the National Garden Scheme on Sunday, May 4.
Daily Mail
25-04-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
One of the world's rarest trees, once snacked on by dinosaurs, bears fruit in Britain for the first time after a retired couple planted a sapling bought by their friend on The Shopping Channel
Its spiky cones were a favourite snack for dinosaurs that roamed the Earth more than 200million years ago. Experts thought it had gone the way of the diplodocus, but now the 'dinosaur' tree is very much alive — and bearing fruit in Britain for the first time — after a retired couple planted a rare sapling in their garden. The Wollemi pine, one of the world's rarest trees, was believed to have become extinct two million years ago until it was rediscovered by a group of hikers in 1994, 125 miles west of Sydney, Australia. Saplings and cuttings of the endangered tree were sold off around the world, catching the attention of Pamela and Alistair Thompson. The couple paid £70 for an 18in sapling, bought initially on the Shopping Channel by a friend. Now, after 15 years of care, the tree stands more than 13ft tall in their garden in the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire. Retired police officer Mrs Thompson, 75, was stunned to discover the rare tree bearing fruit for the first time ever this month. She now hopes the evergreen can be propagated to produce seeds that can be used to grow more trees. She said: 'It would be amazing, absolutely amazing, to have seedlings and to propagate from the world's rarest tree. I couldn't imagine being so lucky to do it. 'I saw a small tree for sale for more than £1,000 which shows just how rare they are.' Wollemi pines are related to monkey puzzle trees and bear both male and female fruit. The grandmother added: 'The long pendulous fruits are actually the male cone and the globular spiky fruits are the female cones. 'So what we're really hoping later in the year would be to collect and germinate some of the seeds. That would be really something but we will just have to wait and see.' To share the excitement, Mr Thompson, 75, a retired spinal surgeon, will open the couple's garden to the public as part of the National Garden Scheme on May 4.
Telegraph
25-04-2025
- Science
- Telegraph
Tree from dinosaur age bears fruit for first time
One of the world's rarest trees is bearing fruit for the first time in a garden in Worcestershire. A retired couple in Wichenford, Malvern, are hoping their Wollemi pine can be propagated to help the endangered species. Dubbed 'dinosaur trees', the species dates back more than 90 million years and was thought to have died out with the T-Rex. But a cluster of the prehistoric conifers was discovered in 1994, in a remote valley 125 miles west of Sydney, Australia. In 2010, saplings and cuttings of the Wollemi pine were sold around the world, and one was replanted by Pamela and Alistair Thompson. They planted it in their garden in Wichenford and discovered it bearing fruit for the first time this month. Pamela, a 75-year-old retired police officer, said: 'It would be amazing, absolutely amazing, to have seedlings and to propagate from the world's rarest tree. 'I couldn't imagine being so lucky to do it. 'I saw a small tree for sale for more than £1,000, which shows just how rare they are.' Pamela and her husband Alistair, a 75-year-old retired spinal surgeon, are opening their garden to the public as part of the National Garden Scheme on May 4. The grandmother of three said: 'The long pendulous fruits are actually the male cones and the globular spiky fruits are the female cones. 'So, what we're really hoping later in the year would be to collect and germinate some of the seeds from it. 'That would be really something, but we will just have to wait and see.' The Wollemi pine, which flourished about 200 million years ago, is thought to be the first endangered tree to be protected through mass commercial cultivation. The tree is related to monkey puzzle trees and bears both male and female fruit. It became the most significant botanical discovery of the 20th century when a cluster was found by a parks ranger as he abseiled into a remote canyon in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, in 1994. After a decade of secret survival trials, it made its first European appearance in 2005, at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Sir David Attenborough, who planted the tree, said at the time: 'How exciting that we should discover this rare survivor from such an ancient past. It is romantic that something has survived 200 million years unchanged.'
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Tree from dinosaur age bears fruit for first time
One of the world's rarest trees is bearing fruit for the first time in a garden in Worcestershire. A retired couple in Wichenford, Malvern, are hoping their Wollemi pine can be propagated to help the endangered species. Dubbed 'dinosaur trees', the species dates back more than 90 million years and was thought to have died out with the T-Rex. But a cluster of the prehistoric conifers was discovered in 1994, in a remote valley 125 miles west of Sydney, Australia. In 2010, saplings and cuttings of the Wollemi pine were sold around the world, and one was replanted by Pamela and Alistair Thompson. They planted it in their garden in Wichenford and discovered it bearing fruit for the first time this month. Pamela, a 75-year-old retired police officer, said: 'It would be amazing, absolutely amazing, to have seedlings and to propagate from the world's rarest tree. 'I couldn't imagine being so lucky to do it. 'I saw a small tree for sale for more than £1,000, which shows just how rare they are.' Pamela and her husband Alistair, a 75-year-old retired spinal surgeon, are opening their garden to the public as part of the National Garden Scheme on May 4. The grandmother of three said: 'The long pendulous fruits are actually the male cones and the globular spiky fruits are the female cones. 'So, what we're really hoping later in the year would be to collect and germinate some of the seeds from it. 'That would be really something, but we will just have to wait and see.' The Wollemi pine, which flourished about 200 million years ago, is thought to be the first endangered tree to be protected through mass commercial cultivation. The tree is related to monkey puzzle trees and bears both male and female fruit. It became the most significant botanical discovery of the 20th century when a cluster was found by a parks ranger as he abseiled into a remote canyon in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, in 1994. After a decade of secret survival trials, it made its first European appearance in 2005, at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Sir David Attenborough, who planted the tree, said at the time: 'How exciting that we should discover this rare survivor from such an ancient past. It is romantic that something has survived 200 million years unchanged.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
