Ancient forest found in Hungary

Discussion in 'Plants: In the News' started by Aussiebob, Aug 13, 2007.

  1. Aussiebob

    Aussiebob Active Member

    Messages:
    42
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Vancouver BC Canada
  2. Luv2Grdn

    Luv2Grdn Active Member

    Messages:
    45
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    MI, USA
    1st thought that came to mind was the Redwood forest in California. I was there about 27 years ago. It was wonderful. :>)
     
  3. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

    Messages:
    11,417
    Likes Received:
    501
    Location:
    Britain zone 8/9
    Seems they were Taxodium.
     
  4. M. D. Vaden

    M. D. Vaden Active Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    843
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Beaverton, Oregon
    That's still a fairly fast growing tree if they are right about the 2 to 3 hundred year age.
     
  5. Lila Pereszke

    Lila Pereszke Well-Known Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    1,536
    Likes Received:
    94
    Location:
    Budapest, Hungary
    WOW! What a great topic! :) I foud it a bit late... :(((

    The Taxodium trees should moved to a Museum, here are some pics... the transporting was not easy! :)
     

    Attached Files:

  6. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    1,526
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Victoria Australia [cool temperate]
    Thankyou both Bob and Lila. I totaly missed this. Lila did they make it in one piece to the museum storage. The BBC article said one was damaged when they tried to move it.

    Liz
     
  7. Lila Pereszke

    Lila Pereszke Well-Known Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    1,536
    Likes Received:
    94
    Location:
    Budapest, Hungary
    So... the trees were found in Bükkábrány, wich is a lignit-mine... They found 16 huge, standing Taxodium tree, and a lot of other small tree piecies...
    The taxodiums are probably 8 million age old, they were probably 35-40 meter tall trees!!! But now they were 60 meter under the ground...

    6 trees dried out, and go to pieces... :( 4 trees were transported to Miskolc (Herman Ottó Múzeum) and now they want to find a speciel conservationsmethod... 6 trees were transported to Ipolytarnóc, there is a paleontology centrum...

    (More photos, by Alfréd Dulai)
     

    Attached Files:

  8. Lila Pereszke

    Lila Pereszke Well-Known Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    1,536
    Likes Received:
    94
    Location:
    Budapest, Hungary
    + pics :)
     

    Attached Files:

    • fa1.jpg
      fa1.jpg
      File size:
      163.9 KB
      Views:
      376
    • fa2.jpg
      fa2.jpg
      File size:
      147 KB
      Views:
      371
    • fa3.jpg
      fa3.jpg
      File size:
      263.8 KB
      Views:
      379
    • fa4.jpg
      fa4.jpg
      File size:
      157.4 KB
      Views:
      365
    • fa5.jpg
      fa5.jpg
      File size:
      251.5 KB
      Views:
      373
  9. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

    Messages:
    11,417
    Likes Received:
    501
    Location:
    Britain zone 8/9
    I would think Taxodium stumps that diameter could well have been more than 40m tall - there are still some alive now in North America in the 40-44m range, and taller trees existed before they were cut down in the last 200-300 years.
     
  10. Lila Pereszke

    Lila Pereszke Well-Known Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    1,536
    Likes Received:
    94
    Location:
    Budapest, Hungary
    Hmmm... yes, possibly they were taller... because they were 300-400 years old trees (they counted the annual rings...)
    But they don't know yet, what Taxodium species are they, could be that this is just a "big foot" species... :))) With 3m stump-diameter, and 10 m tall... :)

    (40 m was all in the hungarian News...)
     
  11. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    1,526
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Victoria Australia [cool temperate]
    If I where to compare these stumps to some of the really big old eucalypt stumps and logs that can still be seen in parts of our old growth forest they would have been huge trees.

    This is a tree near where I live

    "Ada Tree
    The highlight of this stroll through myrtle beech rainforest is the Ada Tree (an ancient mountain ash) which is one of the largest known flowering trees in the world. Thought to be over 300 years old it is 76 m tall with a circumference of 15 m. "

    http://www.nre.vic.gov.au/virtualexhibition/trees/tree20m.htm

    Liz
     
  12. GreenLarry

    GreenLarry Active Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    321
    Likes Received:
    84
    Location:
    Darlington, England
    Fantastic thread,what an amazing find! Makes you wonder what else is out there undiscovered!
     
  13. Dave-Florida

    Dave-Florida Active Member

    Messages:
    409
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Vero Beach, Fla., USA
    In the SE US, Taxodium tree height is more or less limited by lightning strikes (the trees seem to survive pretty well) and wind. To judge from hurricane wind damage, the wood may be fairly brittle, but the trees hold together by being massive.
     
  14. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

    Messages:
    21,251
    Likes Received:
    786
    Location:
    WA USA (Z8)
    Likewise large old Thuja plicata on the outer coast here all have a broken, forking apex due to high winds. However, this does not necessarily indicate extra brittleness. When gales sufficient to break off the uppermost parts of these veterans occur the rest of the forest around them blows down.

    http://www.forestgiants.com/thetrees4.htm

    Some here also have rapidly tapering trunks, creating an appearance of exceptional largeness that evaporates as one gazes upward through the rest of the tree's top. Notice that the Hungarian stumps shown are almost triangular looking, with narrow diameters at their highest points. A comparatively short and slender crown may have been perched atop these when the trees were alive.
     
  15. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    1,526
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Victoria Australia [cool temperate]
    The "Ada tree" pic I sent has actually been hit by lightening and is smaller than it was in it's prime. There is a tablet at its base and if I have it right it was much taller than the leaning tower of Pisa. We have a trio of large mountain ash (eucalypts) up on the old farm above us and one has recently been hit by lightening. There is a major die back happening but also new growth. They are survivors.

    http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/forest/plants/ash.html


    This pic shows a red gum in South Australia that was used as a dwelling. This was not unusual there are quiet a few pictures showing this.

    http://www.australianbusinessesforsale.com.au/sainfo/Springton .htm

    http://www.geco.org.au/biggesttree.htm

    http://www.southaustralianhistory.com.au/trees.htm

    Liz
     

Share This Page