These Ancient Trees Have Stories to Tell

These Ancient Trees Have Stories to Tell: 

National Geographic Photo Blog Becky Harlan Photos Beth Moon

In 1999, photographer Beth Moon began documenting some well seasoned trees. Specifically, she sought out aged subjects that were “unique in their exceptional size, heredity, or folklore.” 

And it was a quest. “So many of our old trees have been cut down,” she says, “that without a concerted effort you are not likely to run across one.”

The great western red cedar of Gelli Aur, Thuja plicata, in Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, Wales. The arboretum at Gelli Aur (Golden Grove) is home to an impressive selection of mature specimen trees, but none so magnificent as the multitrunked western red cedar, thought to have been planted in 1863.

Many of the real trees represented, however, face hard times ahead. “Quiver trees are dying from lack of water in Namibia. Dragon’s blood trees are in decline and on the endangered list, and three species of baobab trees are currently listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List” says Moon. “The disappearance of old-growth forests may be one of the most serious environmental issues today.”

http://www.bethmoon.com/TouchWood01.html [image: Quiver Tree, Aloe dichotoma, ub Keetmanshoop, Namibia. The Quiver Tree Forest in southern Namibia is home to a spectacular collection of some of Earth’s most unusual trees, some of which are three centuries old. Strictly speaking, they are actually succulent aloe plants that can grow up to 33 feet high. The Bushman and Hottentot tribes use the hollow branches of this plant to make quivers for their arrows. The forest was made a Namibian national monument
for full article please visit http://proof.nationalgeographic.com/2016/03/24/these-ancient-trees-have-stories-to-tell/ or www.bethmoon.com