‘A Tree Zoo’: Living inheritance of the Centenary of the Cenetum of Kent Pinetum | Trees and forests

Except for Christmas trees, cones are not widely valued. People tend to associate them antisocially with high suburban fences or ugly, neutral industrial forestry blocks.

However, this spring is 100 years old in the world’s most important rare leaf -free collection, this is usually celebrated with unjustly unjust trees and occurs with a much more beautiful light.

Bedgebury National Pinetum The city is increasingly vital for the endangered cones, which is one of the most threatened plant groups in the world, globally. One third of the conifer species is at risk of extinction.

After complaining that the curator of Kew’s rare cones was drowning in the London, Pinetum (an arboretum for an arboretum-jam trees for pine trees) was founded in 1925 by the Kew and Forest Commission. Kew Gardens curator William Bean wrote that everyone working in Pinetum would look like a chimney scanning, ”he wrote.

Bedgebury, founded on Southern Kentish Weald, was an ideal escape from pollution, and also provided both Boggy and released lands to fit various topography and lands and various species. The cones erected by the previous landowner Victoria Evergreen enthusiast William Beresford were already developing there.

In 1925, the first 315 trees were erected and were inspected by the Forestry Commission. Founded after the First World War In order to make a British without a tree more self -sufficient in timber. Forests were eager to explore which species of new world cones could develop in the forests of the UK.

Today, Pinetum continues to present real world examples of conifer species that can develop in the near future to England. Global heating, new tree diseases and political instability gives new urgency for the identification of flexible wooden trees for the next century.

Pinetum is also a unique warehouse for rare species with the world’s most complete cones collection.

In recent years, horticulturalists have worked to grow and Save Mulanje CedarMalawi National Tree, which continued to disappear illegally during the sponge.

The staff were also the first people in the world to successfully expand the world’s rare tree, Vietnam Gold Salvimi from seed. Puppies will soon be distributed to other botanical gardens around the world.

Bedgebury curator Dan Luscombe described Vietnam Golden Cypress as “giant panda ..

“We are a tree zoo,” he said. “We cling to species and reshaping them. If you cannot grow, you cannot protect anything.

“Cones gain a bad reputation because the ‘dwarf’ cones erected in the 1970s were never dwarf and never left the growth. Leylandii suburban rude. However, the cones should not be ignored. These trees are like the biggest threats for the poster.”

For many of the 500,000 visitors who like Pinetum’s trees and trails annually, it is a refuge of beauty and peace.

Liz Anderson, a volunteer in Bedgebury, said, “This is my happy place. Everyone says that. I love trees and there is a wide variety. Vistas have slopes and look at the trees, when you come here, the different light – the most beautiful place.”

Pinetum celebrated its 100th birthday with a ceremony cultivation of a tree collection. After sewing the same species of the first curator William Dallimore, two Japanese Hemlock trees have been placed in the soil for 100 years.

However, the site faces a great threat. One of the worst enemies of continental European forestry, European spruce peel beetleIn 2018, he flew to Kent and was founded only 300 meters away from the pinetum.

If the insect discovers the pinnet, it can destroy many species. If it moves to the north and reaches large commercial sitka spruce plantations in North England and Scotland, it can seriously damage the future wooden products of England.

Although Luscombe frightened the arrival of the insect, he said that it could be a vital real world laboratory to assess which species Pinetum can resist the best.

“It can be destructive for Pinetum, but in fact looking at the collection here and seeing what species are more sensitive to this disease and seeing which ones have more resistance and durability. Sometimes more for greater goodness.”

A century, until the eye to open an eye for many trees, until the closing and closing and a street of Teenage Coast Redwoods – a large tree of rising dimensions – a natural cathedral will be a natural cathedral. Small cones are the giants of the future.

Luscombe, who has been working in Bedgebury for 25 years, said, not for me, not for me, but for my grandchildren and my grandchildren. ” “There is not much work that you can leave a living inheritance after going, and this is one of the joys of it. In 100 years, someone will talk about my team’s work and we will all take long.

And when Bedgebury attracts thousands of visitors when he puts festival lights in Christmas, Luscombe has a last message for the spruce order: “A cones is not only for Christmas, but for life.”

Five of the best in Bedgebury

Vietnam Gold Cypress (Cupressus Vietnamensis)

One of the rare trees in the worldIt was in Bedgebury when it was first grown from seed by horticulturalists. Pinetum plans to distribute young trees to other botanical gardens in the world.

Cathay Silver Fir (Cathaya argyrophylla)

A rare conifer from China, 100 wilds live here. Examples only came to the west in the early century. Bedgebury’s example was the first “cone in the UK – produced valuable seeds for the next generation.

Coast Redwood (Sequoia Sempervirens)

Now, this large tree of the American West coast, which is extinct in the wild nature, has developed since it was brought to England. The seed collected from the wild nature (to provide genetic diversity) was used to plant a street in Bedgebury, which will be extraordinarily high in the coming years.

RecordIan Fir (Abies nebrodensis)

The rare tree in Europe remained only 29 in the wild nature. Five seedlings grown from wild seeds were given to Bedgebury and is currently 3 meters high and developing.

Penis (Taxus Baccata)

One of the three British indigenous cones (next to Scottish pine and Ardıç) is found in the church gardens where most of the oldest claws in Europe came before the church and came before Christianity. Bedgebury took cuts from something big Ancient Yew in nearby Ulcombe Churchyard In other words, this private individual who can be up to 2,000 years of age will be cloned and will live.