Branching out at Bedgebury: the collection of conifers
On Earth Day 2018, I visited Bedgebury Pinetum, one of England’s finest forests. According to the Forestry Commission, it is ‘home to one of the world’s finest conifer collections’. My visit was very educational: I learnt a lot, such as that coniferous trees keep their leaves all year. Furthermore, it seems that trees are very understated, as they can be used for many different things - not just the paper we write on. Conifers alone can provide cardboard, medicine, musical instruments, building materials, furniture and toilet paper. However, due to deforestation - and other human activity - the eight hundred species of conifer are under threat.
The Forestry Commission are working with Bedgebury to do everything that they possibly can to help the situation - such as protecting the trees that they grow. They also plant conifers that are under threat, and these can act as a genetic resource for other conservation that may be carried out.
Trees also help reduce global warming, as in the northern hemisphere they retain large amounts of carbon. As part of photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is absorbed by trees and removed from the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change and rising temperatures. At Bedgebury, trees are protected so they can continue to keep the air clean and help prevent global warming.
Trees can grow to be extremely large, making them majestic figures. The Giant Redwood Tree in California is the world’s largest tree, at a whopping 83.8 metres tall. That’s almost as big as Big Ben!
A redwood tree, which is a type of conifer, has an average lifespan of 600 years. You can figure out how old a tree is by counting the rings on the trunk when it is cut open; one ring represents one year of growth.
Some trees also have odd abilities. Swamp Cypress is a wood that is waterproof. It’s extremely unlikely to rot or be affected by water and rainfall.
These trees are all at Bedgebury and, thankfully, are not under threat as they are protected. They are very desirable for their special properties - they are used to make things like fences, as they only need minimal maintenance.
And, best of all, trees are great for climbing! At Bedgebury, there are many trees that you can climb and weird trees that are in odd shapes. Trees are always fun to climb, and being outside is good for your health.
I hope you can see trees in a different way, and I really enjoyed going to Bedgebury and learning what trees can do for the environment besides producing oxygen. Maybe you should go there!
Emma Dear, Year 7
The Forestry Commission are working with Bedgebury to do everything that they possibly can to help the situation - such as protecting the trees that they grow. They also plant conifers that are under threat, and these can act as a genetic resource for other conservation that may be carried out.
Trees also help reduce global warming, as in the northern hemisphere they retain large amounts of carbon. As part of photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is absorbed by trees and removed from the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change and rising temperatures. At Bedgebury, trees are protected so they can continue to keep the air clean and help prevent global warming.
Trees can grow to be extremely large, making them majestic figures. The Giant Redwood Tree in California is the world’s largest tree, at a whopping 83.8 metres tall. That’s almost as big as Big Ben!
A redwood tree, which is a type of conifer, has an average lifespan of 600 years. You can figure out how old a tree is by counting the rings on the trunk when it is cut open; one ring represents one year of growth.
Some trees also have odd abilities. Swamp Cypress is a wood that is waterproof. It’s extremely unlikely to rot or be affected by water and rainfall.
These trees are all at Bedgebury and, thankfully, are not under threat as they are protected. They are very desirable for their special properties - they are used to make things like fences, as they only need minimal maintenance.
And, best of all, trees are great for climbing! At Bedgebury, there are many trees that you can climb and weird trees that are in odd shapes. Trees are always fun to climb, and being outside is good for your health.
I hope you can see trees in a different way, and I really enjoyed going to Bedgebury and learning what trees can do for the environment besides producing oxygen. Maybe you should go there!
Emma Dear, Year 7