1000-year-old red cedar in Puli, Nantou abandoned

Standing at 685 Zhongshan Rd., Nantou County, Puli exists the oldest known red cedar in Taiwan. The tree is affectionately known to locals as ‘Old Red’, and is venerated fervently. Old Red towers up a massive 70 feet, has a diameter of 3.92 meters, a circumference of 12.3 meters, a crown of 300 sq. meters, and is estimated to be over around 1230 years old.

According to local resident Mr. Bai, Old Red is about the same age as the 1000-year-old trees at Xingnan Temple. President of the Tree Conservation Society of Taiwan Zeng Cheng-rai, expressed that the tree’s rotten and hollow trunk resulted after the tree base was covered with over 1 meter of soil. To make matters worse, the soil used was waste soil from construction sites. So far the attitude of the Public Works Bureau in dealing with the red cedar has been largely negative, nonchalantly cutting away any diseased limbs from the tree, and showing very little regard for the tree’s welfare. We should really be doing our utmost to rescue Old Red, this beautiful ancient tree.

As the use of cement and poor quality soil from construction sites was responsible for the dacay, Zeng Cheng-rai suggested using ultrasound apparatus to ascertain the degree of decay within the tree’s trunk, quickly remove cement and poor quality soil to improve the situation. After almost losing this tree due to faulty practice, the emphasis should now be on doing our best to rescue it. If we fail to act, the result may well be another lost generation of ancient old trees!

1000-year-old red cedar in Puli, Nantou abandoned

URL:

http://www.peopo.org/portal.php?op=viewPost&articleId=104398

(以下為中文對照)

一個被南投遺棄的-埔里千年茄苳樹 ( 阿洲 ) 

照片

位於南投縣埔里鎮愛蘭里中山路三段685號旁（中潭公路進入埔里愛蘭橋右側路旁），有一棵目前所知臺灣地區現存最長壽的老茄苳樹，當地人尊稱「茄苳樹王 公」，並給予視如神明般的供奉朝拜。茄苳樹王公，樹高約十七公尺，胸徑三、九二公尺，胸圍十二、三公尺，樹冠幅約有三○○平方公尺，樹齡據推測約有一千二 百三十多高齡。

據附近住戶白先生表示此棵老茄苳樹樹齡與興南宮千年茄苳樹相差不多，台灣愛樹保育協會會長曾檉銳表示：這棵老茄苳樹主幹中空腐朽，因為根部慘遭覆土所以造 成一代木死亡，，樹穴有一半以上被不當填土超過一公尺以上，且所填充的都是對樹根很不好的工程水泥廢棄土。目前公務局處理老茄苳樹作法只是消極地把殘枝隨 便處理就地任意放置，實在對老茄苳樹很不禮貌！應該盡全力積極來搶救老茄苳樹才是。

曾檉銳建議應先利用超音波儀器來偵側目前主幹內部腐朽狀況；再來緊急打除樹穴水泥塊並活化土壤改善棲地；因為不當覆土與水泥化造成上半部的腐朽，目前一代木已死亡了應該緊急搶救，否則二代木也將不保。

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