New Zelanad's "Tree of the Year" award has been awarded to a giant and bizarre tree that has a pair of leg-like trunks and that looks like Ent from Lord of the Rings.
This astounding tree, dubbed the "walking tree," was able to bag the award after strolling past its competition.
Tree of the Year Award 2024: The Walking Tree
The strange tree has earned its nickname due to how it looks like it is striding through a field. It is a northern rātā (Metrosideros robusta) tree, which is one of the tallest flowering tree species in New Zealand and could live up to a millennium.
The walking tree stands lonely in the midst of a huge paddock close to a cemetery near Karamea on the South Island's west coast. It towers at a height of 32 meters, roughly the same as a seven-story structure.
Earning 42% of public votes, the walking tree bagged the Tree of the Year Award 2024 of New Zealand's Arboricultural Association (NZ Arb).
Richie Hill, the president of NZ Arb, shared that the walking tree is an "exceptional feature and a prime example" of the remarkable trees in New Zealand.
Though the walking tree's exact age remains unclear, according to the award's organizers, the tree was the lone survivor of a cleared forest from 150 years ago. Brad Cadwallader, the organizer of the competition, said that back then, the farming family considered it special since they left it alone.
Northern Rātā Trees
These trees are epiphytes, which are a type of tree that begins life growing on a host tree's surface before it eventually grows aerial roots that reach the ground later on.
The walking could have started its life high up in the canopy of its host. It could have initially lived off rainwater and air before eventually hitting the ground.
The tree's unusual root layout was likely due to how it grew to surround its host tree, which could have died off several centuries ago.
Cadwaller noted that its host tree is already gone. This tree could have been extremely big, or there could have been a different tree that fell and leaned against this host tree. This could be why the roots were split close to the ground and why the walking tree has its unique appearance.
These trees are also native to New Zealand. They used to be among the most common tree species in the forests of the country.
However, in the last few decades, their range has substantially decreased. They have now been categorized as nationally vulnerable.
While deforestation is a major threat to these trees, another primary threat is the brushtail possum, which gnaws tree roots and eats tree leaves, eventually leading to the trees' destruction.
Hybridization with pōhutukawa trees, which are closely related to these trees, also appears to threaten the rātā trees. The northern rātā trees are also vulnerable to myrtle rust, which is a fungus that is a South American native and that was picked up in New Zealand in 2017 for the first time.
Read also: Earth Has 14% More Tree Species Than Previously Thought: Why Does Diversity of Forests Matter?
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