Scientists as per reports are planning to plant “living fossils” of Wollemi pines, an around145 million old tree that is believed to have gone extinct in 1994. Where will these living fossils be planted? Well, that’s a secret.
Why does the tree matter?
The tree just a decade ago was believed to be lost, however in 1994, hikers in Australia’s Blue Mountains stumbled upon a relict of these ancient conifers, reported Live Science.
Today, only around 60 of the tree specimens remain in Wollemi National Park. However, in spite of conservation efforts, a pathogenic water mould called Phytophthora cinnamomi that causes dieback or a gradual deterioration in the tree’s health, sometimes leading to its death threatens the ancient tree’s existence. It is also threatened by rampant wildfires that intermittently rage through this region of New South Wales.
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What’s amazing about the tree is that it is more than 145 million years old, and since then it has barely changed in appearance — as evident by fossils that date back to the Cretaceous period (145 million to 66 million years ago).
Saving in secret
Since its rediscovery, the tree has been grown in botanical gardens and private spaces around the world. Now, the tree saviours—the Wollemi Pine Recovery Team, which is a partnership between Australian government scientists and conservationists, has begun the process to reintroduce Wollemi pine seedlings to three sites in Wollemi National Park.
“The sites comprise high-elevation sandstone gorges that are sufficiently deep, narrow and steep-sided to provide refugia from frequent, intense wildfires and drought,” said a representative of the Wollemi Pine Recovery Team, in a statement emailed to Live Science.
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“There was no evidence of infection with pathogenic Phytophthora species at either site when surveyed immediately prior to the translocations, and there is a low (but non-zero) likelihood of unauthorised visitation due to their remoteness,” it further said.
Already, there have been multiple transplantation efforts: in 2012, 2019, and 2021. Over 400 saplings were planted in 2019, but only 58 saplings made it to 2023. Many of the rest were destroyed by bushfires.
In 2021, around 502 trees were planted to replace the ones lost, but in 2022 landslides caused by heavy rains destroyed about 80 per cent of the trees.
Now, to prevent introduction of Phytophthora to the sites, the location of the trees are concealed from the public. Experts while visiting the site limit their time near the plants and repeatedly disinfect their shoes to reduce the likelihood they will track in traces of the water mould. Even a few spores might spell death for this nascent population.
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However, the efforts to save the tree will take decades, if not centuries, as they grow less than 0.4 inches (1.02 centimetres) a year.
“Given the slow growth and maturation of Wollemi pines in the wild, this is likely to take many decades, if not centuries. Given predicted increases in the frequency and severity of fire and drought due to climate change — arguably the two greatest threats to these populations — their long-term security is far from guaranteed,” said the researchers.
NOTE – This article was originally published in wionews and can be viewed here
