A 30ft-tall 100-year-old Sitka spruce pine tree on Campbell Island has been recognized as the world's most remote tree by Guinness World Records. The island is situated 500 miles from New Zealand's South Island. You can reach its closest companion 137 miles away on the Auckland Islands.
Tree experts would say that Sitka spruces are not likely to thrive on Campbell Island, or anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere. These tree species are native to the North American Pacific Coast, where they can grow to atleast 300 feet. How the tree ended there still confuses many up to this day.
The tree was originally thought to have been planted in 1901 by Lord Ranfurly, the governor of New Zealand, while he was on a crusade to collect bird specimens for the British Museum. Many believed that he planted the tree in the hope of transforming the island into a place of 'fruitful forestry'.
Unfortunately, the tree did not manage to spread seeds via cones and reproduce. Experts continuously pondered on the mystery. People have pointed out that some meteorological staff stationed on the island tried to hack its trunk in an attempt to make it a Christmas tree. Some also blamed the harsh sub-Antarctic weather attributed to the tree's tender state.
These two factors were also believed to have prevented the tree from growing in a traditional cone shape. Instead, the tree's shape is likened to a cauliflower.
In 2018, the tree was used by scientists as an indicator that the world entered a new geological epoch known as the Anthropocene in 1965. The Anthropocene is a term used to imply when humans began to have a substantial impact on the planet.
Experts were able to mark this new period because they found a lance of radiocarbon in its wood consequenced by above-ground nuclear bomb tests, according to University College London.
The Sitka spruce was dubbed the loneliest tree in the world in 1973. Before that, the title belonged to the last tree of Ténéré in the deserts of Niger.
Tree of Ténéré
The Ténéré Tree was a solitary acacia considered to be the most isolated tree on Earth before the spruce in New Zealand. It was the only tree in the area for over 400 kilometers. The acacia served as a landmark for travelers on caravan routes through the Ténéré region of the Sahara Desert in northeast Niger.
The tree had stood alone for decades. During the winter of 1938-1939 when a well was dug near the tree, it was discovered that the roots of the tree reached the water table 33-36 meters below the surface.
The lone tree was reportedly destroyed when a drunk truck driver crashed his vehicle straight into it in 1973. The remains are now housed in the National Museum of Niger in its capital, Niamey.
The tree has now been replaced by a simple metal sculpture symbolizing the tree. The sculpture representing the Tree of Ténéré and the tree's story was remarkably featured in the film La Gran final in 2006.
