Hi All,
Many decades ago I visited a remote lake (Dean Chapter I
think) which had become part of a water system for power
generation and by good fortune the water was low so I could see
clearly root grafts between Spruce trees. The roots of every tree
were connected to several other Spruce trees. Root grafting of
forest trees has been common knowledge since erosion or soil
slumping has revealed the evidence. But I doubt very much that
root grafting takes place between trees of different species other
than a thin dubious link with microrhizal fungi as the
connection. And the sequence usually is along the following
lines-- some plant root, often but not always woody, pioneers a
root channel. When that root dies and rots a passageway is left
for some subsequent root and when two roots of the same species
meet in this tunnel their root tissues will usually fuse.
True root grafting is most frequent in soils with compact subsoils where pioneering a new channel is difficult. But setting that aside, for trees such as Hemlock which form dense stands with sparse sunlight reaching the forest floor root grafting is vital because seedlings, the next generation, depend on root grafts to survive until some nearby large tree dies and sunlight reaches that dependent. Thus the stump of a small Hemlock, cut e.g. to enable a survey, will continue to grow in diameter each year if adjacent large trees are not cut.
Dave Kentville
An important book will be published Tuesday: Suzanne Simard from UBC is the author of Finding the Mother Tree. She has studied the interconnectedness of trees, how they help each other through the underground fungal network, and the importance not only of DIVERSITY, but of the MOTHER TREE, hence backing up our pleas to retain old growth and especially older trees, with scientific evidence.
Dr. Simard was interviewed on Quirks and Quarks yesterday.
Of course this research has been around for a while and nothing has changed. Perhaps this book will make a difference if we "propagate" it.
There is a good article here: https://www.the-scientist.com/reading-frames/book-excerpt-from-finding-the-mother-tree-68727
Excerpt:
".... The trees soon revealed startling secrets. I discovered that they are in a web of interdependence, linked by a system of underground channels, where they perceive and connect and relate with an ancient intricacy and wisdom that can no longer be denied. I conducted hundreds of experiments, with one discovery leading to the next, and through this quest I uncovered the lessons of tree-to-tree communication, of the relationships that create a forest society. The evidence was at first highly controversial, but the science is now known to be rigorous, peer-reviewed, and widely published. It is no fairy tale, no flight of fancy, no magical unicorn, and no fiction in a Hollywood movie. "
I have ordered my copy! Paperback will be out in June.
Nancy
On Sun, May 2, 2021 at 8:57 AM Mary Macaulay <marymacaulay@hotmail.com> wrote:
I have been visiting as many sites as I can on the "harvest" map before comments close (locked down now unfortunately). The most recent had a humongous healthy Old Growth beech on it and lots of smaller ones. It is scheduled to be clearcut (10% retention). I have been told time and again by L&F and conservation officials that there is no interest in beech conservation when I draw extremely rare healthy beech in condemned stands to their attention._______________________________________________
With kindest regards
Mary
On May 2, 2021, at 8:48 AM, Peter Payzant <peter@payzant.net> wrote:
To clarify, I was wondering if there was any point in trying to re-establish Beech here once the existing ones are gone. When would it be worth the effort, if ever?
It seems that the National Tree Seed Centre is not well-stocked with American Beech seed, by the way.
--- Peter Payzant
On 2021-05-01 4:37 PM, John and Nhung wrote:
I wonder if the National Tree Seed Centre in Fredericton (https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/science-data/research-centres-labs/forestry-research-centres/atlantic-forestry-centre/national-tree-seed-centre/13449) could help. A couple of years ago, I was in touch re. Hemlocks (threatened by the adelgid) and black ash (Thought I’d hit a lot of them down here in God’s country, but they turned out to be a European species!).
Donnie McPhee (donnie.mcphee@canada.ca) is the go-to guy and can probably identify go-to people in N.S.
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