Under the boughs of a 300-year-old sweet chestnut tree in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, Tony Kirkham, head of the arboretum, confirms that trees are capable of outliving animals. Proving this can involve some traditional detective work, as he explains: "First of all we can look at previous records, to find out if a tree was growing there at a set date. Then we look at paintings and artwork, to look to see if that tree was present. And old ordinance survey maps quite clearly show ancient trees, especially important ones." Read more
Discovery of 'hidden forests' adds to global forest area
By using very high resolution satellite imagery available through the Google Earth, they found an additional 467 million hectares of forest in the world's drylands - arid areas that cover 42% of the Earth's land surface. A group of researchers at Leeds led by Dr Alan Grainger was part of an international team headed by Dr Danilo Mollicone of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome. Their findings are published today in Science. Read more
There are 60,065 species of trees in the world, according to a comprehensive study of the world's plants. Botanical Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) compiled the tree list by using data gathered from its network of 500 member organisations. It hopes the list will be used as a tool to identify rare and threatened species in need of immediate action to prevent them becoming extinct. Read more
An industrial-scale experiment in a Staffordshire forest will help fill gaps in knowledge about climate change. The project has created an outdoor laboratory by encircling trees with 25m masts gushing high levels of carbon dioxide. The site is surrounded by a 3m anti-climb fence, and silvery tubes snake along the forest floor in what looks like a sci-fi alien invasion. Read more
'Extinct' Wentworth elms found in Queen's garden in Edinburgh
Trees believed to have been extinct in Britain have been discovered at the Queen's official residence in Scotland. The two 100ft Wentworth elms have been identified in the Queen's garden at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. Read more
There are just over three trillion trees on Earth, according to a new assessment. The figure is eight times as big as the previous best estimate, which counted perhaps 400 billion at most. Read more
Ever green: Pine trees, which can grow for thousands of years, are the oldest living trees. But scientists are learning that palms can be even older - at least at the cellular level. A recent American Journal of Botany paper explains that conventional trees experience a secondary growth phase - replacing functional tissues with younger cells - but palm trees do not. The individual cells in a palm, seen in this micrograph of the genus Veitchia, endure throughout the tree's life span, which can range from 100 to 740 years. Read more