BLOG RERUN: The World Trade Centre Memorial Tree

(this post was originally published September 11th, 2012)

Species name: Quercus bicolor

Common name: Swamp white oak

Location: Ontario

I figured that today's blog post should have a special meaning, so the plant of the day is the swamp white oak. It is a native species to southern Ontario, with a species range almost completely overlapping with the previous day's blog, the pin oak. Like the pin oak, the swamp white oak can tolerate being partially submerged during the spring run-off, but unlike the pin oak it can also tolerate being submerged (either temporarily or permanently) during the growing season. Also unlike the pin oak, it is mildly shade tolerant and so is a good competitor in swampy forests.

So what about this blog post has special meaning? Well, as I'm sure everyone is aware, today is the 11th anniversary of the World Trade Centre attacks. While I don't personally know anyone that was in the WTC at the time of the attacks, or even know someone that knows someone that was in the WTC, I do remember my OAC ("grade 13") physics teacher stopping the class and turning on the TV so we could watch the news coverage. I remember the feeling of sadness of all of us in the class, and also the feeling of fear. None of us had ever stopped to think that this kind of thing even happened, let alone anywhere close to us. I won't ever forget where I was on that terrible day in history, and I don't think anyone else will, either. Unfortunately, the devastation of that day still rages on both in mentally in memories and in very physical ways. There are currently hundreds of firefighters and other first responders that are now battling unusual forms of cancer and lung disease because of the fumes they were inhaling while trying to save other peoples' lives. I heard on the news this morning that the American Government has finally agreed to pay for their medical treatment for their various cancers (previously it was limited to lung disease), which is a wonderful piece of news to hear.

In 2003, there was a competition to design a memorial for the former WTC site. The winning design was submitted by Michael Arad and Peter Walker, and includes two reflecting pools, a meeting area in the middle, and a mind-boggling number of trees. The memorial site was finally opened to the public on September 12, 2011, the day after the 10th anniversary dedication ceremony.

So where does the swamp white oak fit into this? Every single tree planted at the memorial site is a hand-picked swamp white oak from NYC and surrounding area. The workers on the site each got to choose a tree and a location to plant it within the memorial site, which ensures and almost "individualization" of each tree. The trees are all different sizes, different stages of maturity, and have different genetic backgrounds which help contribute to a spectacular colour show in the fall (the leaves of the swamp white oak change to yellow, orange or even pink depending on climate, light levels, and genetic background). A very neat idea, to say the least.

May we never forget the lives that we lost that day. If you see a first responder today, whether in NYC or in any other city around the world, thank them for their work. They selflessly put their lives on the line every time they walk into an emergency situation, and for that they should be commended.

A Frankenplant or the real thing?

Species name: Hydrangea quercifolia

Common name: oak-leaved hydrangea

Location: Ontario

Those of you who have never seen this plant before probably looked at the leaves and thought "hey! I recognize those! That's an oak!" and then looked at the next two photos and thought "gee, she's awfully good at photoshop. Those leaves and flowers don't belong together!" Well, you would have been in good company in that boat of confusion; when I first saw this plant a couple of years ago I thought someone had created a Frankenplant by grafting two completely different species together (which is possible, but usually they're at least in the same or closely related families. Hydrangeas and oaks are nothing alike, and don't share a recent ancestor). The oak-leaved hydrangea is a real plant, "created" as a product of evolution and natural selection, not garden novelty and artificial selection. It is native to North America as far north as Tennessee and as far south as Florida, from the eastern seaboard all the way west to about Louisiana. It can grow quite happily in southern Canada despite our cold winters as long as it is either drastically cut back in the spring to prune off all the dead growth (the winter will kill any overwintering buds; most of the new growth comes from the rootstock in Canada), or planting it in a very sheltered area from the harsh winds and the weight of the snow. Building a "burlap teepee" to put over the plant to protect it during the winter would be a good thing if you plan on keeping it around for a while; if not just a good hard prune in the spring and you'll be good to go. Just don't expect many flowers since those only grow off of at least one years' growth.

The oak-leaved hydrangea is a perfect example of phenotypic plasticity; that is, a plant's ability to modify its appearance based on environmental conditions. Often, this is a slow process involving changing growth patterns over weeks or even months, but in the oak-leaved hydrangea during peak growth times it can be in as little as hours. During times of drought, the plant actually has the ability to reabsorb nutrients from its flowers to put back into the leaves and sustain its basic life functions: making sugars from water and carbon dioxide, then breaking down that sugar again into energy. The flower buds will look completely healthy, but if the plant is experiencing a prolonged drought then all of a sudden it seems like the buds are withering and they turn brown. Those buds will never develop into flowers, but if you give the plant a good watering as soon as you notice it, new ones might form if you're lucky. The plant can also modify the appearance of its leaves; after a prolonged drought the leaves will be more prominently lobed with less leaf area. If the growing conditions are ideal, then the leaves will be much fuller with more tissue between the main veins. You can almost think of it like the difference between a pin oak leaf (which you can see HERE) and a white oak leaf (which you can see HERE). A pretty drastic change!

The mighty white oak

Species name: Quercus alba (hybridized with...?)

Common name: white oak

Location: Ontario

I took this photograph of a white oak on campus, and I doubt it's a "pure" white oak. The swamp oak (which you can read about HERE) and the white oak are not only very closely related species, but they also readily hybridize. For anyone to sell a "pure" white oak, I would like to know how they did it. Collecting acorns in the wild and growing up trees in a nursery (then repeatedly harvesting nursery acorns and replanting to grow up your stock) will almost always result in hybridized white oaks. And if the tree nursery also grows swamp white oaks, they've compounded their problem. In fact, oak pollen is so light and can travel so far on wind currents that you don't even have to know where a swamp oak or a white oak are to get them to hybridize. Like the issue with the Freeman maple (which you can read about HERE), once these two species hybridize they often get intermediate features, or a "blending phenotype." Oak pollen is actually one of the leading causes of seasonal allergies in the spring. Anyone living near an oak tree can attest to this; my dark grey car often takes on a yellow tinge because of our big red oak growing in the front yard.

The white oak, no matter its genetic background, has been used for centuries as one of the most prized woods in the world. Because of the structure of the cells in the wood, it is completely watertight when used for making furniture or other items. These same cellular structures make it rot-resistant, which is why it is so popular in the use of barrel construction; the liquid won't leak out of the barrel, and if it does start to become saturated with the liquid inside it won't rot and release the contents. Not cracking and breaking apart is probably preferred during the alcohol aging process! It's not just wine that's stored in oak barrels, but also rum and whiskey. Since some rums are aged for 20 years or more (an Appleton Estates rum to be released this year is a 75 year aged rum, all done in oak barrels), putting them in a barrel that's likely to rot or leak is probably not preferred! The watertight and rot-resistant characteristics also make oak a popular wood historically for shipbuilding and agricultural construction (both equipment and barns).

On the inside of homes, oak is a popular wood for visible finishings. Sometimes cabinets are made out of a different kind of (cheaper) wood, then the front facings are oak. Oak flooring is also incredibly popular, and often it's even stained to resemble other, more expensive woods (like cherry, walnut or mahogany). In fact, most mahogany flooring sold today in Canada is just white oak wood stained a reddish colour, since international trade treaties have been signed preventing the import of South American tropically-grown mahogany wood into Canada. Since the term "mahogany" doesn't actually apply to any one species of tree (unlike wood from black walnut, white oak, sugar maple, white pine, etc.), that eliminates many options for sourcing mahogany! While I'm sure mahogany is incredibly popular to use for fine furniture and household finishings, South American rain forests are being eliminated at an alarming rate for both the international wood trade, and conversion to the North American style of farming (higher productivity for a few years, but then a drastic decline in productivity due to the low level of nutrients in the soil). By preventing the import of these trees, we are doing our part in attempting to conserve the tropical forests in South America.

There are some notable famous white oaks across the United States. The first isn't one tree, but actually an entire grove of white oak trees. The USS Constitution is made entirely of white oak, and whenever parts of it need to be replaced they come from a grove of trees called Constitution Grove near Bloomington, Indiana. The states of Connecticut, Maryland and Illinois have all made the white oak their state trees, with one specific oak representing the honorary tree of the state. The Charter Oak in Connecticut is even featured on the back of their state quarter (which I, of course, proudly own since it features a botanical design). The honorary state tree of Maryland, the Wye Oak, was one of the oldest living trees in the United States until it was destroyed in a storm in 2002. In Illinois, they couldn't decide which tree they liked better to serve as their honorary white oak so they picked two; the first is on the front lawn of the governor's house, and the second is in a school yard. The new largest living white oak is the Linden Oak, also located in Maryland.

The World Trade Centre Memorial Tree

Species name: Quercus bicolor

Common name: Swamp white oak

Location: Ontario

I figured that today's blog post should have a special meaning, so the plant of the day is the swamp white oak. It is a native species to southern Ontario, with a species range almost completely overlapping with the previous day's blog, the pin oak. Like the pin oak, the swamp white oak can tolerate being partially submerged during the spring run-off, but unlike the pin oak it can also tolerate being submerged (either temporarily or permanently) during the growing season. Also unlike the pin oak, it is mildly shade tolerant and so is a good competitor in swampy forests.

So what about this blog post has special meaning? Well, as I'm sure everyone is aware, today is the 11th anniversary of the World Trade Centre attacks. While I don't personally know anyone that was in the WTC at the time of the attacks, or even know someone that knows someone that was in the WTC, I do remember my OAC ("grade 13") physics teacher stopping the class and turning on the TV so we could watch the news coverage. I remember the feeling of sadness of all of us in the class, and also the feeling of fear. None of us had ever stopped to think that this kind of thing even happened, let alone anywhere close to us. I won't ever forget where I was on that terrible day in history, and I don't think anyone else will, either. Unfortunately, the devastation of that day still rages on both in mentally in memories and in very physical ways. There are currently hundreds of firefighters and other first responders that are now battling unusual forms of cancer and lung disease because of the fumes they were inhaling while trying to save other peoples' lives. I heard on the news this morning that the American Government has finally agreed to pay for their medical treatment for their various cancers (previously it was limited to lung disease), which is a wonderful piece of news to hear.

In 2003, there was a competition to design a memorial for the former WTC site. The winning design was submitted by Michael Arad and Peter Walker, and includes two reflecting pools, a meeting area in the middle, and a mind-boggling number of trees. The memorial site was finally opened to the public on September 12, 2011, the day after the 10th anniversary dedication ceremony.

So where does the swamp white oak fit into this? Every single tree planted at the memorial site is a hand-picked swamp white oak from NYC and surrounding area. The workers on the site each got to choose a tree and a location to plant it within the memorial site, which ensures and almost "individualization" of each tree. The trees are all different sizes, different stages of maturity, and have different genetic backgrounds which help contribute to a spectacular colour show in the fall (the leaves of the swamp white oak change to yellow, orange or even pink depending on climate, light levels, and genetic background). A very neat idea, to say the least.

May we never forget the lives that we lost that day. If you see a first responder today, whether in NYC or in any other city around the world, thank them for their work. They selflessly put their lives on the line every time they walk into an emergency situation, and for that they should be commended.