25 April is Tree Day: 10 curious facts about the woody plant
On this special occasion, we honour all the trees on this earth and remind ourselves of their importance. Of course, without trees we would quickly run out of air and slash-and-burn doesn't help us to get our CO2 emissions under control. We know that. But there are so many more interesting, curious and astonishing things to learn about these wooden creatures.
The year is 1872 and there is a big problem in the state of Nebraska: the landscape is too bare, there are no trees. A certain Julius Sterling Morton is also bothered by this. That is why the American journalist and farmer submitted an "Arbor Day Resolution" application to the local government in Nebraska. The tree-barren state is to be reforested through an annual planting campaign.
Morton hit the bull's eye, because on 10 April 1872, the energetic citizens of Nebraska planted more than a million trees. His statement "Other holidays are for remembrance, Arbor Day is for the future" is still the core message of this day today. Incidentally, Arbor Day was not celebrated in our latitudes until later, namely for the first time on 25 April 1952, the year before the decision was made by the United Nations.
Back to the present day. On 25 April, the day of honour of the tree takes place for the 56th time. Trees are planted for the 56th time and facts are recalled. Trees protect against sun and wind, provide a habitat for animals and produce oxygen. All true and important, but not all that new, so we'll leave them out for a moment. Here are ten facts about the topic of trees that you probably didn't know.
1. unusual burials
On the Indonesian island of Tana Toraja, there is a very special tradition. If a baby dies before it has teeth, the family carves a hole in a tree and buries the child in it. This way, it is supposed to grow together with the tree.
2. special formations
Nazis planted trees in the shape of swastikas in the 1930s. The formation was recognised by aerial surveys in 1992 and destroyed soon afterwards.
3 Survival of the Fittest
At Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C., USA, trees begin to eat various gravestones.
4. Oops...
A meth addict from Florida crawled into a 3500-year-old tree and accidentally torched it. It was the fifth oldest tree in the world at the time.
5. please do not touch
The exact locations of the oldest and largest trees are kept secret so that they can be protected from encroaching tourists.
6. environmentally friendly superstars
Justin Timberlake has commissioned a company to determine the carbon footprint of his concerts and paid to plant trees in the respective cities
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7. you have to manage that first
The "Arbre du Ténéré" was considered the most isolated tree in the world. The umbrella acacia stood alone within a radius of 400 kilometres in the Niger desert. In 1973, it was knocked down and destroyed by an allegedly drunk lorry driver.
8th piecework hoe
In 2008, the American Erin Lavoie chopped down 27 Christmas trees within two minutes, thus holding the Guinness World Record.
9. for the production of drugs
The sassafras tree belongs to the laurel family, is native to the north of the USA and provides the raw material for the production of MDMA, the active ingredient in ecstasy.
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10. I'm planting myself a jungle
Indian Jadav Molai Payeng started planting trees at the age of 16. Today, at the age of 47, he lives in a huge jungle together with tigers, rhinos and elephants.
My life in a nutshell? On a quest to broaden my horizon. I love discovering and learning new skills and I see a chance to experience something new in everything – be it travelling, reading, cooking, movies or DIY.