advocating for endangered species
drafting environmental legislation
preserving wildlife habitat
The Redwood and Sequoia Project
While Green Ballot sees a need to protect trees, forests, and woodlands, in general, we feel that there are compelling reasons to single out certain varieties of trees for protection. Despite all of the rare and declining tree species we have in this country, only a small number of varieties have federal protection through the Endangered Species Act. It can be argued, that because of their rarity and longevity, certain species of tries have extra cause to be protected.
For example, one Great Basin Bristlecone Pine from the California/Nevada border is 5065 years old. How disconnected or unconscious must one be (or how blinded by the desire for profit), to saw down trees that have such important and irreplaceable roles in their ecosystems. There is probably no bristlecone pine that will ever be planted that we can expect to live this long again – given the vagaries of drought, rainstorms, lightening, global warming, military conflicts, the lust for profit, the reckless expansion of human settlement, insect infestations; contamination from fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, and rodenticides; contamination of air and water aquifers from mining operations, fossil fuel extraction; chemicals, industrial wastes, fracking, logging, grazing, raising livestock, etc…
How many bristlecone pine seedlings will need to be planted to get a tree that lives to even a hundred years? And who will pay for the planting of these trees; and for the guardianship of these trees for hundreds or thousands of years? We see no one involved in the destruction of these trees standing up in any meaningful way to take on this role of guardian. The cut-and-run profit model has ruled the day, and the sense of arrogant entitlement of those in the lumber industry and other extractive industries has grown stronger. Just consider the case of Prometheus, a Great Basin Bristlecone Pine from Wheeler Peak in eastern Nevada,
which at 4,844 years old, was cut down with permission of the US Forest Service in 1964.
In addition to these Great Basin Bristlecone Pine Trees in California and Nevada,
there are many other long-lived trees whose entire species should be protected. These include:
Patagonia Pines -- can live up to 3,644 years in Chile
The President – a Giant Sequoia from the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California that is 3,200 years old.
(There are numerous other Giant Sequoias in the Sierra Nevadas that are over 3,000 years old, yet most of these
have died in recent years.)
Western Juniper – in the Sierra Nevadas, western Juniper have been documented to be 2,675 years old. Currently, the oldest living Western Juniper that we know of is 2,200 years old.
Sacred Fig – In northern Sri Lanka, the oldest living human-planted tree in the world (with a known planting date) is 2,303 years old.
Coast Redwood -- A 2,200 year old Coast Redwood in northern California died recently.
Foxtail Pine – These have lived to 2,110 years in the Sierra Nevadas
Subalpine Larch – A Subalpine Larch in Alberta, Canada is 1,942 years old.
Rocky Mountain Juniper – One member of this species in northern New Mexico is 1,889 years old.
Limber Pine – A Limber Pine near Ketchum, Idaho is 1,718 years old.
Bald Cypress – A Bald Cypress from Bladen County, North Carolina is 1,649 years old.
Nootka Cypress – A Nootka Cypress from Vancouver Island, British Columbia is 1,636 years old.
Llangernyw Yew – A Llangernyw Yew that lives in a churchyard in northern Wales, is about 5,000 years old.
Mediterranean Cypress – A Mediterranean Cypress in Yazd, Iran is estimated at 4,000 years old.
Pond Cypress – A Pond Cypress named The Senator was destroyed by fire in 2012 in Longwood, Florida at the age of 3,500.
Olive – An Olive Tree in Luras, Sardinia is estimated to be 4,000 years old.
Consider also, the clonal colony of 47,000 quaking aspen trees nicknamed “Pando,” that covers 106 acres in south-central Utah.
Pando is considered to be one of the oldest and largest organisms in the world. Although the trees above the surface are generally only 100 to 200 years old, the colony itself isestimated to be 80,000 years old.
Similarly, a colony of Huon Pine trees covering 2.5 acres on Mount Read, Tasmania, is estimated to be around 10,000 years old, as determined by DNA samples taken from Huron Pine pollen. Individual trees in this group date to about 2,000 B.C., as determined by tree ring samples.
Green Ballot is acting to save all groves and expanses of Redwoods, Sequoia, and the above species. Many other majestic and irreplaceable trees are deserving of special protections, such as the Douglas Fir, Spruce, Chestnut, and Elm.
A Few Benefits of Trees
Trees in general provide a wide range of ecological and environmental value. They provide oxygen, improve air quality, ameliorate the climate, conserve water, preserve soil, and support wildlife. During photosynthesis, trees take in carbon dioxide and produce the oxygen that we breathe. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and gives out four tons of oxygen (enough to meet the annual needs of 18 people).
Trees and shrubs filter air by removing dust and absorbing pollutants like carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. Trees absorb and filter the sun’s radiant energy, providing shade and cooling in summer. Trees reduce the heat intensity of the greenhouse effect by maintaining low levels of carbon dioxide.
Trees are essential to the ecosystems in which they reside. Far reaching roots hold soil in place to minimize erosion. Trees absorb and store rainwater which reduces runoff and sediment deposit after storms, thus helping the groundwater supply to recharge; preventing the transport of chemicals into streams; and minimizing flooding. The fallen leaves from trees enrich the soil.
Trees are essential to most animal species. Many species, from giraffes to elephants, eat leaves, flowers, fruit, and seeds for nourishment, and help disperse seeds over great distances. Nectar from shrubs and flowers is essential to birds, bats, bees, butterflies, and many insects and other pollinators. Thousands of living creatures make their homes in trees, and leaf-covered branches keep animals such as birds, monkeys, and squirrels out of the reach of predators. Trees also provide a wide range of commercial products from fruit to syrup, nuts, cork, quinine, aspirin, latex, rubber, and innumerable other products. So, really, most all tree, shrub, and other vegetation species need to be protected.