TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A 700-year-old camphor tree in Nantou’s Xinyi Township stands a towering 46.4 meters and has been registered as the tallest camphor tree in the world with arborists formulating a health regimen to ensure it can live for another century.
The tree is under the jurisdiction of National Taiwan University’s Experimental Forest, which undertakes monthly health checks of the tree. The results of the most recent check released on Monday indicated the tree's health is akin to a “healthy elderly man,” per CNA.
According to arborists, a tree of this age will inevitably be infested by insects and fungal decay that causes trunk hollowing. Experimental Forest has formulated a five-year inspection and management regimen to mitigate these risks.
NTU Experimental Forest Deputy Director Chung Li-chan (鍾立展) said a recent inspection of the tree, which measured the degree of trunk hollowness, soil condition, and upper canopy, revealed it was in adequate health. Chung added that more advanced analysis, such as root soil sampling, will take more time.
Shen Hui-sheng (沈揮勝), a lecturer at the Community University of Nantou and a participant in the tree’s health check, said stress wave testing (acoustic) on the trunk revealed internal deterioration and overall decay between 80-90%. Despite the high ratio of trunk decay, the outer shell is considered intact and can carry out normal photosynthesis with vascular bundles and sieve tubes retaining their ability to operate.
Shen said the five-year plan not only includes monthly on-site observations but also annual health checks and expert analysis of pest infestation and decay. Such data will be used to formulate a more specific and effective health regimen to ensure it can live a healthy life for another century.
