Monday 04-11-2019 - 16:21

“This is not our world with trees in it. It’s a world of trees, where humans have just arrived.” – Richard Powers

 

Trees have been with us since the beginning. And for years we let them grow. As humankind sprawled outwards, colonised, discovered, warred, trees ascended the ground; towered above us; stoically watched.

 

Over generations they have been worshipped, mythologised in folklore, damaged, cut down and replanted, and increasingly, protected.

 

Even now in our age of science, we are discovering even more about them. It is only recently we learned that trees in a forest have the capacity to “talk” with one another. When a tree is dying, for example, the forest will divest nutrients and resources appropriately to protect the whole.

 

Not so much static giants then, but a living network. An intelligent community.

 

Over the coming weeks we will be cataloguing some of the fascinating, beautiful, and endlessly complex trees that we have on Edge Hill’s campus. Whether you take a passing interest, or this project triggers you to look further, to delve into the roots of arboreal life on our planet, we hope that you learn a little bit about the life that surrounds us.

 

There is, after all, much to learn, and even more to admire!

 

 

 

Edge Hill Arboretum | The Main Building Sweet Chestnut

 

As the Winter season draws near and we become surrounded by spruces and pines, you may forget that the Sweet Chestnut is actually one of our most festive trees.

 

Just think: there’d be no chestnuts roasted on an open fire without the tree that provides the chestnuts!

 

Aside from food, this long living tree is packed with history and intrigue.

 

 

• A sweet chestnut can live for up to 700 years and can grow up to 35 metres.
• The species isn’t actually native to the UK. It was introduced by the Romans, most likely because legionaries used to eat the nuts that fall in Autumn as a staple part of their diet.
• You can estimate the age of a tree by looking at the bark. In young Sweet Chestnuts, the bark is silvery and relatively smooth, whereas in older trees the bark becomes more fissured with grooves markedly spiralled up the trunk.

 

Interestingly enough for a tree that can boast such age, there is relatively little UK mythology surrounding the Sweet Chestnut. The tree is, however, a stalwart fixture in UK woods and copses.

 

Squirrels and other small mammals will feed from the nuts, whereas the summer flowers attract bees and other insects with an ample supply of nectar.

 

Full of character, a provider for the world around it, and just enough of an outsider to make it unique… What better tree to greet the Edge Hill community?

 

 

Want to join in with our Edge Hill Arboretum? Download the inaturalist app (app store link) (Google Play link), and search for edgehillsu where we’ll be cataloguing all the trees included in this series and more! You can even post your own campus favourites!