Tree expert David McMaster points to a 110-foot tall tulip poplar that will
be cut down and may be used for cloning with some 25 'historical' trees in
Central Park in New York, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2008. [Agencies]
Squat, homely, dwarfed by the stately oaks and poplars nearby and unnoticed
by the tourists passing in horse-drawn carriages, it's a tree that only
birds and nut-hungry squirrels could love.
But on Thursday, the 100-year-old European beech on Central Park's Cherry
Hill was the center of attention - chosen by New York city officials as the
first of 25 "historical" trees to be cloned as part of a plan announced
last year to add a million new trees to streets, parks and public spaces
over the next decade.
Agriculture students from a Queens high school rode hydraulic-powered tree
-trimmers' buckets to upper branches of the 60-foot tree and snipped off 6-
to 12-inch sections of new growth, to be sent to a scientific tree nursery
in eastern Oregon. If all goes well, the genetic copies will be sent back
in two years to New York for replanting.
"We want to break the stereotype of New York as skyscrapers and sidewalks,"
Parks Commissioner Adrian Benape said. "New York abounds in historical
trees."
The target trees include nine different species. All were selected by
borough foresters as historical for having existed for at least a century -
either as fixtures of the urban landscape or as having special significance
to local communities.
City partners in the cloning effort include the Central Park Conservancy, a
private group that manages the 840-acre park; Bartlett Tree Experts, a
century-old Connecticut-based company that has tree care contracts in New
York, 25 other states, Canada, England and Ireland; the nonprofit Tree
Fund, and the Coleman Co., a camping equipment maker, whose coolers would
be used to ship the cuttings to Oregon.
David McMaster, a Bartlett vice president, said the cloning would target
several "Olmsted trees," dating from the creation of Central Park by famed
architect Frederick Law Olmsted in the late 1850s.
Benape said being less than beautiful had no bearing on the European beech
tree's potential contribution to a greener Gotham.
"Like the other trees to be cloned, it has withstood the test of time and
the indignities of urban life," he said. "These trees as a result tend to
be hardier species, inherently disease resistant. They are a great
reaffirmation of the importance of nature in New York City - trees so good
that people are looking to clone them."
它矮小平凡，旁邊高大筆直的橡樹(shù)和楊樹(shù)讓它相形見(jiàn)絀；坐著馬車(chē)從它身邊經(jīng)過(guò)的游
客都不會(huì)瞅它一眼，可能只有鳥(niǎo)兒和想吃松子的松鼠會(huì)喜歡它。
而本周四，位于櫻桃山中央公園的這顆百年歐洲山毛櫸樹(shù)成了眾人關(guān)注的焦點(diǎn)——它
被紐約市政官員選入25棵首批“克隆古樹(shù)”?！肮艠?shù)克隆”項(xiàng)目是紐約市政府去年公
布的百萬(wàn)植樹(shù)計(jì)劃的一部分，紐約計(jì)劃在未來(lái)十年內(nèi)在市內(nèi)街道、公園及公共場(chǎng)所增
加100萬(wàn)顆樹(shù)木。
皇后區(qū)一所中學(xué)的農(nóng)業(yè)系學(xué)生們乘坐液壓修樹(shù)吊車(chē)抵達(dá)這顆高60英尺的樹(shù)的頂端，從
新枝上剪下6至12英寸的樹(shù)枝，這些被剪下的新枝將被送往位于俄勒岡州東部的一個(gè)樹(shù)
木科研診所。如果一切順利，克隆成功的樹(shù)將于兩年后送回紐約種植。
公園委員會(huì)主任阿德里安•貝納普說(shuō)：“我們的目的是改變紐約到處都是摩天大樓和人
行道的舊貌。紐約市內(nèi)有很多古樹(shù)。”
將被克隆的樹(shù)包括九個(gè)不同品種。由各區(qū)林務(wù)員挑選出的所有古樹(shù)的樹(shù)齡至少為100年
。這些古樹(shù)有的是城市景點(diǎn)，有的則對(duì)當(dāng)?shù)赜刑厥庖饬x。
“古樹(shù)克隆”項(xiàng)目的合作方包括：中央公園保護(hù)處，該私人機(jī)構(gòu)負(fù)責(zé)管理市內(nèi)的840畝
公園；巴特雷特樹(shù)木專(zhuān)家公司，這個(gè)位于康涅狄格州的公司已有一百年歷史，它與紐
約、其他25個(gè)州以及加拿大、英格蘭和愛(ài)爾蘭都簽有樹(shù)木護(hù)理合同；非贏利組織樹(shù)木
基金會(huì)以及科爾曼露營(yíng)設(shè)備制造公司，剪下來(lái)的樹(shù)枝將裝進(jìn)該公司生產(chǎn)的冷卻器運(yùn)往
俄勒岡。
“巴特雷特”樹(shù)木專(zhuān)家公司的副總裁大衛(wèi)•麥克馬斯特說(shuō)，將被克隆的古樹(shù)中還包括幾
棵“奧姆斯特德樹(shù)”，這幾棵古樹(shù)種植于中央公園創(chuàng)建時(shí)期，中央公園于19世紀(jì)50年
代末由建筑大師弗萊德里克•勞•奧姆斯特德樹(shù)創(chuàng)建。
貝納普說(shuō)，歐洲山毛櫸長(zhǎng)得不夠好看不要緊，不會(huì)影響它發(fā)揮綠化紐約的作用。
他說(shuō)：“與其它將被克隆的古樹(shù)一樣，它經(jīng)歷了時(shí)間和風(fēng)雨的考驗(yàn)。歷盡歲月風(fēng)雨后
，這些樹(shù)的耐寒能力和自身抗病能力都會(huì)增強(qiáng)。它們是自然重要性的“偉大見(jiàn)證”—
—人們認(rèn)識(shí)到樹(shù)木的重要性，甚至想能對(duì)它們進(jìn)行克隆。”
be cut down and may be used for cloning with some 25 'historical' trees in
Central Park in New York, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2008. [Agencies]
Squat, homely, dwarfed by the stately oaks and poplars nearby and unnoticed
by the tourists passing in horse-drawn carriages, it's a tree that only
birds and nut-hungry squirrels could love.
But on Thursday, the 100-year-old European beech on Central Park's Cherry
Hill was the center of attention - chosen by New York city officials as the
first of 25 "historical" trees to be cloned as part of a plan announced
last year to add a million new trees to streets, parks and public spaces
over the next decade.
Agriculture students from a Queens high school rode hydraulic-powered tree
-trimmers' buckets to upper branches of the 60-foot tree and snipped off 6-
to 12-inch sections of new growth, to be sent to a scientific tree nursery
in eastern Oregon. If all goes well, the genetic copies will be sent back
in two years to New York for replanting.
"We want to break the stereotype of New York as skyscrapers and sidewalks,"
Parks Commissioner Adrian Benape said. "New York abounds in historical
trees."
The target trees include nine different species. All were selected by
borough foresters as historical for having existed for at least a century -
either as fixtures of the urban landscape or as having special significance
to local communities.
City partners in the cloning effort include the Central Park Conservancy, a
private group that manages the 840-acre park; Bartlett Tree Experts, a
century-old Connecticut-based company that has tree care contracts in New
York, 25 other states, Canada, England and Ireland; the nonprofit Tree
Fund, and the Coleman Co., a camping equipment maker, whose coolers would
be used to ship the cuttings to Oregon.
David McMaster, a Bartlett vice president, said the cloning would target
several "Olmsted trees," dating from the creation of Central Park by famed
architect Frederick Law Olmsted in the late 1850s.
Benape said being less than beautiful had no bearing on the European beech
tree's potential contribution to a greener Gotham.
"Like the other trees to be cloned, it has withstood the test of time and
the indignities of urban life," he said. "These trees as a result tend to
be hardier species, inherently disease resistant. They are a great
reaffirmation of the importance of nature in New York City - trees so good
that people are looking to clone them."
它矮小平凡，旁邊高大筆直的橡樹(shù)和楊樹(shù)讓它相形見(jiàn)絀；坐著馬車(chē)從它身邊經(jīng)過(guò)的游
客都不會(huì)瞅它一眼，可能只有鳥(niǎo)兒和想吃松子的松鼠會(huì)喜歡它。
而本周四，位于櫻桃山中央公園的這顆百年歐洲山毛櫸樹(shù)成了眾人關(guān)注的焦點(diǎn)——它
被紐約市政官員選入25棵首批“克隆古樹(shù)”?！肮艠?shù)克隆”項(xiàng)目是紐約市政府去年公
布的百萬(wàn)植樹(shù)計(jì)劃的一部分，紐約計(jì)劃在未來(lái)十年內(nèi)在市內(nèi)街道、公園及公共場(chǎng)所增
加100萬(wàn)顆樹(shù)木。
皇后區(qū)一所中學(xué)的農(nóng)業(yè)系學(xué)生們乘坐液壓修樹(shù)吊車(chē)抵達(dá)這顆高60英尺的樹(shù)的頂端，從
新枝上剪下6至12英寸的樹(shù)枝，這些被剪下的新枝將被送往位于俄勒岡州東部的一個(gè)樹(shù)
木科研診所。如果一切順利，克隆成功的樹(shù)將于兩年后送回紐約種植。
公園委員會(huì)主任阿德里安•貝納普說(shuō)：“我們的目的是改變紐約到處都是摩天大樓和人
行道的舊貌。紐約市內(nèi)有很多古樹(shù)。”
將被克隆的樹(shù)包括九個(gè)不同品種。由各區(qū)林務(wù)員挑選出的所有古樹(shù)的樹(shù)齡至少為100年
。這些古樹(shù)有的是城市景點(diǎn)，有的則對(duì)當(dāng)?shù)赜刑厥庖饬x。
“古樹(shù)克隆”項(xiàng)目的合作方包括：中央公園保護(hù)處，該私人機(jī)構(gòu)負(fù)責(zé)管理市內(nèi)的840畝
公園；巴特雷特樹(shù)木專(zhuān)家公司，這個(gè)位于康涅狄格州的公司已有一百年歷史，它與紐
約、其他25個(gè)州以及加拿大、英格蘭和愛(ài)爾蘭都簽有樹(shù)木護(hù)理合同；非贏利組織樹(shù)木
基金會(huì)以及科爾曼露營(yíng)設(shè)備制造公司，剪下來(lái)的樹(shù)枝將裝進(jìn)該公司生產(chǎn)的冷卻器運(yùn)往
俄勒岡。
“巴特雷特”樹(shù)木專(zhuān)家公司的副總裁大衛(wèi)•麥克馬斯特說(shuō)，將被克隆的古樹(shù)中還包括幾
棵“奧姆斯特德樹(shù)”，這幾棵古樹(shù)種植于中央公園創(chuàng)建時(shí)期，中央公園于19世紀(jì)50年
代末由建筑大師弗萊德里克•勞•奧姆斯特德樹(shù)創(chuàng)建。
貝納普說(shuō)，歐洲山毛櫸長(zhǎng)得不夠好看不要緊，不會(huì)影響它發(fā)揮綠化紐約的作用。
他說(shuō)：“與其它將被克隆的古樹(shù)一樣，它經(jīng)歷了時(shí)間和風(fēng)雨的考驗(yàn)。歷盡歲月風(fēng)雨后
，這些樹(shù)的耐寒能力和自身抗病能力都會(huì)增強(qiáng)。它們是自然重要性的“偉大見(jiàn)證”—
—人們認(rèn)識(shí)到樹(shù)木的重要性，甚至想能對(duì)它們進(jìn)行克隆。”