May 2010 Newsletter
Dear Notable Tree Enthusiasts,
Our last newsletter stimulated some considerable discussions! Many people seem to have encountered larger radiata pines that our New Plymouth Tree 714 and quite a few of you seem have cut larger ones down. A 'report' of 80m trees being cut down near the Bridge-To-Nowhere on the Whanganui River was most interesting! Alas, there appears to be no evidence or formal record. Several trees claimed to be larger in diameter were found to be multiple stemmed trees and so do not qualify. Even the Awaroa macrocarpa 686 was challenged, but we are confident that it is a single stem.
A Note About Champion Trees
Only single stemmed trees are considered for champion tree status and will have scores automatically calculated on the database. In other words, only trees that contain a single pith within the girth measurement will qualify. Champion tree scores are not calculated for trees with multiple or fused stems although we still recognise the historical and cultural significance of these trees on the database.
An Update - A World Class Angophora!
Our pick of newly updated records is the Angophora costata at Hobsonville (pictured, image credit: Brad Cadwallader). This tree has long been considered as our second largest tree of this species in New Zealand. It has been recently found to be the largest in the country and may well be the largest in the world. This extraordinary tree is well worth a visit if you are ever in the Auckland area. register.notabletrees.org.nz/tree/view/334
New Listings
Of note amongst our new tree listings are 10 dawn redwood records from around the country. Some of the tallest and largest can be seen by using the genus/species search or our NEW FEATURE, the common name search. Try searching ‘dawn redwood’, ‘water fir’ or ‘shui-shan’. If you then click on the 'Score' at the top of the column you are able to further sort your selected data to find the current National Champion and top 5 specimens of this species identified in a recent national survey undertaken by Brad Cadwallader. Some of the other trees listed, whilst not large, are significant because they are some of the first trees on record to be cultivated in New Zealand.
Several Norfolk Island pine trees have been added to our records. These Northland trees were amongst the first of the species introduced into New Zealand in 1836. The Waitangi tree is quite outstanding and despite the presence of multiple tops, so too are the Wahapu Reserve and Scandrett Regional Park trees.
Thank you to those that have sent in updates and new tree records. For those of you who would like to get in on the action to update tree records or register as a tree recorder simply go to our website and follow the instructions.
Mark Your Calendar!
On the back of the success of last year’s joint conference with the NZAA, the NZNTT are pleased to announce that we are planning another combined programme.
Mark your calendar for the 11th – 13th of November.
This year’s venue will be at the Ellerslie Convention Centre, Auckland
You can keep up on the 2010 Conference developments by going to the NZAA website www.nzarbor.org.nz where there will be a full programme available soon.
Kind regards,
The Notable Trees team
notabletrees.org.nz/
