ghostsofevolution | Michigan welcomes endangered trees from Florida (2023) @ghostsofevolution | Uploaded August 2023 | Updated October 2024, 3 hours ago.
August 2023 Connie Barlow videoed the Florida Torreya (Torreya taxifolia) and Florida Yew (Taxus floridana) plantings in the 45-acre forest at Paul Camire's farm in Capac, Michigan. Since his earliest plantings in 2017, Paul has witnessed no evidence of winter kill on leafy branches or buds and no disease. Instead, the main problems are herbivory episodes — rarely by rodents, but massively whenever the protective cages are breached by a falling branch or a winter-starved deer. Even so, Torreya recovers again and again, putting forth new leaves and even new leaders.
TIMECODED table of topics is below, and a full chronology (with photos) is found on the Capac Michigan webpage of the Torreya Guardians website:
torreyaguardians.org/mi-capac.html
This is episode 36 in the Torreya Guardians video series. Access the full set at this playlist url: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJvRBS695TaXwOH416C7okxBeo358sn1o
00:03 Introduction by Connie Barlow, with maps.
01:13 Close-up look at seedling planted in 2017. Two flushes of growth yearly. Compare with video from 2019, after leaves sunbleached when a canopy ash tree fell in 2018.
03:34 Visit a second seedling planted in 2017. Compare today's growth with extreme herbivory by deer filmed in 2019.
05:54 Visit a third seedling from 2017; the only one that escaped herbivory. Canopy tree species shown.
07:49 Visit fourth seedling from 2017; recovery from severe deer damage.
08:55 Newest planting: Clint Bancroft in TN donated a potted seedling to Paul Camire in 2018. Paul planted it in his forest during a warm spell January 2023. Protected by the sturdiest, tall cage. No amount of hunting reduces the deer population.
10:52 Visit the FLORIDA YEW, also planted January 2023. No winter-cold damage. At 12:20 there is an overlay of several pages of the List of Florida Yew "ex situ specimens" that Paul compiled and posted here: torreyaguardians.org/florida-yew-list.pdf
13:17 Paul shows one of the American Chestnut seedlings he planted from an organization that breeds from only native specimens. Overlay compares with Liriodendron's height.
14:37 This torreya was severely eaten by rodents; grown from the 2016 harvest of Medford, Oregon seeds.
16:18 First of 4 seedlings that Paul and Connie planted from pots in 2019.
17:44 Second of the 4 seedlings planted in 2019. Tremendous growth. At 18:17 an overlay of Paul's publication in 2018 of "Ex-situ specimens of Torreya taxifolia". The 27-page PDF is here:
torreyaguardians.org/historic-list.pdf • Typical growth spurts are leader upward in May, then laterals end of July.
19:01 Third of the 2019 set; shadier spot so slower growth. At 19:44 are photo overlays of Paul's torreyas in a winter snow. "Zero frost damage" in Michigan, but rarely some winter wind dessication of leaves, except within south side of forest. At 20:18 overlay of Fred Bess's torreyas in Cleveland OH, where experienced needle dessication during first winter.
20:27 Fourth and fullest of the 2019 plantings (in a set of beech trees). At 21:54, overlay of an aerial map of Paul's forest and nearby Mill Creek.
22:00 Surprise! A severely rodent-damaged seedling, assumed to be dead, shows new growth. This is another plant that Paul had germinated from 2016 Medford Oregon seeds.
23:18 A full-sun experiment planting: Torreya in the meadow by the South Branch of Mill Creek. 26:00 Map overlay of Black River watershed, into Lake Huron.
26:12 Location shifts to Paul Camire's home in Capac, where he nurtures potted seedlings of Torreya before ready to plant. Four new seedlings from Fred Bess seeds (overlay photos at 26:38). One new sprout from Highlands, NC seeds (overlays 26:56). As usual, 2 winters passed before seed germinated. Spring-germinated seeds do not show above ground till late June, early July.
28:56 South-facing side of house nurtures 30 potted Torreya seedlings. Provenances: Fred Bess, Jack Johnston (Highlands), and Clint Bancroft (TN).
31:18 Closing slides begin: Photo of TorreyaGuardians homepage • photos of Torreya videos 32a and 32b: Capac Michigan 2019 • photos of Paul and Connie, 2019 and 2023.
32:12 Conclusion: Connie voice-over, followed by a moving list of all the previous Torreya Guardians "assisted migration" videos.
August 2023 Connie Barlow videoed the Florida Torreya (Torreya taxifolia) and Florida Yew (Taxus floridana) plantings in the 45-acre forest at Paul Camire's farm in Capac, Michigan. Since his earliest plantings in 2017, Paul has witnessed no evidence of winter kill on leafy branches or buds and no disease. Instead, the main problems are herbivory episodes — rarely by rodents, but massively whenever the protective cages are breached by a falling branch or a winter-starved deer. Even so, Torreya recovers again and again, putting forth new leaves and even new leaders.
TIMECODED table of topics is below, and a full chronology (with photos) is found on the Capac Michigan webpage of the Torreya Guardians website:
torreyaguardians.org/mi-capac.html
This is episode 36 in the Torreya Guardians video series. Access the full set at this playlist url: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJvRBS695TaXwOH416C7okxBeo358sn1o
00:03 Introduction by Connie Barlow, with maps.
01:13 Close-up look at seedling planted in 2017. Two flushes of growth yearly. Compare with video from 2019, after leaves sunbleached when a canopy ash tree fell in 2018.
03:34 Visit a second seedling planted in 2017. Compare today's growth with extreme herbivory by deer filmed in 2019.
05:54 Visit a third seedling from 2017; the only one that escaped herbivory. Canopy tree species shown.
07:49 Visit fourth seedling from 2017; recovery from severe deer damage.
08:55 Newest planting: Clint Bancroft in TN donated a potted seedling to Paul Camire in 2018. Paul planted it in his forest during a warm spell January 2023. Protected by the sturdiest, tall cage. No amount of hunting reduces the deer population.
10:52 Visit the FLORIDA YEW, also planted January 2023. No winter-cold damage. At 12:20 there is an overlay of several pages of the List of Florida Yew "ex situ specimens" that Paul compiled and posted here: torreyaguardians.org/florida-yew-list.pdf
13:17 Paul shows one of the American Chestnut seedlings he planted from an organization that breeds from only native specimens. Overlay compares with Liriodendron's height.
14:37 This torreya was severely eaten by rodents; grown from the 2016 harvest of Medford, Oregon seeds.
16:18 First of 4 seedlings that Paul and Connie planted from pots in 2019.
17:44 Second of the 4 seedlings planted in 2019. Tremendous growth. At 18:17 an overlay of Paul's publication in 2018 of "Ex-situ specimens of Torreya taxifolia". The 27-page PDF is here:
torreyaguardians.org/historic-list.pdf • Typical growth spurts are leader upward in May, then laterals end of July.
19:01 Third of the 2019 set; shadier spot so slower growth. At 19:44 are photo overlays of Paul's torreyas in a winter snow. "Zero frost damage" in Michigan, but rarely some winter wind dessication of leaves, except within south side of forest. At 20:18 overlay of Fred Bess's torreyas in Cleveland OH, where experienced needle dessication during first winter.
20:27 Fourth and fullest of the 2019 plantings (in a set of beech trees). At 21:54, overlay of an aerial map of Paul's forest and nearby Mill Creek.
22:00 Surprise! A severely rodent-damaged seedling, assumed to be dead, shows new growth. This is another plant that Paul had germinated from 2016 Medford Oregon seeds.
23:18 A full-sun experiment planting: Torreya in the meadow by the South Branch of Mill Creek. 26:00 Map overlay of Black River watershed, into Lake Huron.
26:12 Location shifts to Paul Camire's home in Capac, where he nurtures potted seedlings of Torreya before ready to plant. Four new seedlings from Fred Bess seeds (overlay photos at 26:38). One new sprout from Highlands, NC seeds (overlays 26:56). As usual, 2 winters passed before seed germinated. Spring-germinated seeds do not show above ground till late June, early July.
28:56 South-facing side of house nurtures 30 potted Torreya seedlings. Provenances: Fred Bess, Jack Johnston (Highlands), and Clint Bancroft (TN).
31:18 Closing slides begin: Photo of TorreyaGuardians homepage • photos of Torreya videos 32a and 32b: Capac Michigan 2019 • photos of Paul and Connie, 2019 and 2023.
32:12 Conclusion: Connie voice-over, followed by a moving list of all the previous Torreya Guardians "assisted migration" videos.
