Can DNA of 800-year-old oak help save future forests? 八百歲古橡樹的 DNA 能幫助我們拯救未來的森林嗎？

本集內容

Can DNA of 800-year-old oak help save future forests?

八百歲古橡樹的 DNA 能幫助我們拯救未來的森林嗎？

文字稿

The Druids Oak has watched over this woodland in Buckinghamshire for hundreds of years, withstanding droughts, storms, heatwaves and more.

這棵橡樹被稱為 “德魯伊橡樹”，數百年來它一直守護著白金漢郡的這片林地，它經受住瞭幹旱、風暴和熱浪等種種考驗。

Today, the mighty oak is being measured up…

現如今，這棵高大威猛的橡樹正被科學傢們詳細測量……

Ed Pyne, Conservation Scientist, The Woodland Trust
“It’s about 9m19.”

艾德·佩恩林地信托環保科學傢
“周長大約 9.19米。”

“Yeah, one of the biggest trees in the UK.”

“是的，它是英國最大的樹之一。”

…and getting a DNA test that could unlock the secrets of its superpowers.

……並進行 DNA 檢測以揭開它超強生命力的秘密。

Ed Pyne, Conservation Scientist, The Woodland Trust
“We don’t know what enables it to be so successful, compared to other trees. Is it just that it’s got lucky? Has it led a stress-free life? Or is there something special about the genes of this tree? We’re hoping to really dig into that and find that out.”

艾德·佩恩林地信托環保科學傢
“我們並不知道是什麼讓它和其它的樹相比如此成功。難道僅僅是因為它運氣好嗎？因為它生存得無憂無慮？還是說這棵樹的基因有什麼特別之處？我們希望能夠切實地深入研究這個問題並找到答案。”

Helen Briggs, AYYBLOG correspondent
“A single ancient oak like this one is home to hundreds of different species of plants and animals. We’ve got moss on the trunk, we’ve got ants running up and down, this bark is shelter for beetles. It’s absolutely teeming with life. So if you lose an ancient oak like this one, you lose the wildlife too.”

海倫·佈裡格斯 AYYBLOG 通訊員
“像這樣的一棵古橡樹是成百上千種不同植物和動物的傢園。樹幹上長有苔蘚，螞蟻在樹上爬上爬下，這塊樹皮是甲蟲的庇護所。這棵樹簡直充滿瞭生機。所以如果我們失去這樣一棵古橡樹，就會同時失去這些野生動植物。”

Here at this national nature reserve near Moccas in Herefordshire, unwanted conifers are being removed and oaks put back, to encourage wildlife.

在臨近赫裡福德郡莫卡斯的這個國傢自然保護區，多餘的針葉樹正在被移除，橡樹被重新種植，從而促進野生動植物的生長。

Tom Simpson, Natural England
“So this tree’s about 16 years old and it was one of the trees which was grown from acorns collected from the 800-year-old trees in the park. In the short period of time, that 16 years of restoration, we are really seeing the sort of nature recovery up on this site.”

湯姆·辛普森英格蘭自然署
“這棵樹大約有 16 歲，它是這個公園裡其中一棵用從有八百年樹齡的橡樹上收集到的橡子培育出的樹。在很短的時間內，也就是復原工作的 16 年中，我們就已經在這個山頭上看到瞭大自然的恢復。”

In this woodland, forgotten oaks are being cared for, but many ancient trees are still missing from the map.

在這片林地中，被人遺忘的橡樹們得到瞭悉心照顧，但仍有許多古樹沒有被標記在地圖上。

Saul Herbert, Conservation Manager, The Woodland Trust
“We need to find out where they are and we need to engage with people and communities, to ensure that these trees are valued and looked after for the ecological, cultural and the historic value that they bring to our landscapes.”

索爾·赫伯特林地信托環境保護經理
“我們需要找到這些古樹的位置並吸引人們和社區的關註，從而確保這些樹能被重視並得到照顧，因為它們能為我們的自然景色帶來生態、文化以及歷史價值。”

The conservationists say these living legends are irreplaceable, but knowing their secrets will help the ancient oaks of the future.

環境保護人士稱，這些活生生的傳奇是不可替代的，但瞭解它們的秘密能幫助未來的古橡樹。