A TREE'S HISTORY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13296, 27 May 1907, Page 3

A TREE'S HISTORY.

One of the giant trees of California (Wellingtonia), whose picture adorns a good many advertisement boards, was cut down some tome ago, and on examination revealed a most instructive history' of the forest fires, which had swept the region where for more than 2000 years the trees had existed. The effects nf f.ha fires occurring centuries ago are registered in the trunks of trees, and the record is completely concealed, by subsequent healthy growth. The tree had an enormous burn on one side, 30ft in height and occupying 18ft in its circumferernce. This burn was due to a fire which occurred' in 1797, and the tree had therefore occupied more than a century in its efforts to repair this injury, its method being ingrowth of. new tissues from the margin of the great black wound. The tree began its existnece in about 271 8.C., and in 245 A.D. occurred a burning on the trunk 3ft wide. This fire took place therefore in its 517 th year. A hundred and five years were occupied in covering this wound with new tissues. For 1196 year.'- no further injuries were registered. In 1141 A.D.. at 1172 years of age, the tree was burned for a second time in two long grooves. Each had its own system of repair. In 1580 A.D.. at 1851 years of age, nrcnvT-ori another fire, causing a burn on the trunk 2ft wide, which took 56 years to cover with new tissue.?. Two hundred and seventeen years of growth followed the burn. In 1797 A.D., occurred the tremendous fire which burned the great scar of-18ft wide. In the hundred odd. years which have since gone by. the tree'had been repairing the burn, and had reduced the exposed area by about 4ft of width.