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--- identity_of_trees_walks [2014-08-19 15:40] – [* Hazelnut, hazelnoot, noisetier, corylus] rasa
+++ identity_of_trees_walks [2014-08-28 20:00] (current) – [* Plane, plataan, platane, Platanus – all together they form the Brussels' Court of Peace] rasa
@@ Line 295: / Line 295: @@
 Please meet the witch of the forest.
 Down through the ages the Hazel has always been considered magical, and was used primarily for its powers of divination.
 In August this Hazel forms a roof of branches and leafs in collaboration with its collaegue hazels. They form a network for the red squirrels, who jump as acrobats from one branch to another. Often they can be heard above, where they cut off the hazelnuts with their sharp teeth, and parts of the nutshells happen to whirl down on you.
@@ Line 344: / Line 346: @@
-roots in water
+// While listening to the Alder, think of all the things humans construct with wood under water //
+The Alder Tree (Old Irish “Fern,” genus Alnus) is a somber deciduous tree with dark bark, which is most comfortable along waterways and streams. It is able to fix atmospheric nitrogen and survive when grown in infertile soils. Alder roots enrich the soil, and its timber resists decay.
+When immersed in water it hardens to the toughness of stone.
+When cut, alder wood turns from white to red and felling of a sacred alder was considered taboo. Dyes were made from its bark, twigs and flowers.
+Alder bark treated inflammations, rheumatism, and diarrhea. Bags filled with heated alder leaves helped with chronic skin diseases and burns. A gargle made from leaves and bark cured mouth ulcers and soothed tonsillitis. Alder oil and essence resonate with the Muscular System and can relieve stiffness and damp diseases, enabling us to move forward with flexibility and comfort.
+Alder was sacred to the Druids. The pith is easily pushed out of green shoots to make whistles. Several shoots bound together by cordage, can be trimmed to the desired length for producing the note you want and used to entice Air elementals. The old superstition of "whistling up the wind" began with this custom.
+“The Alder is a tree that supports and protects physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Its associations with both weapons and shields reminded the ancient Celts that part of the skill of the warrior lies in knowing when to take up the sword and when to take up the shield. Although an alder shield will protect you and give you courage and an alder-forged weapon will help you defend yourself, ultimately the most important aspect of the warrior is his or her intent. This is the key to success or failure. They alder reminds us of the need to blend strength and courage with generosity of spirit and compassion. There is a time to challenge things and a time to hold our peace. The alder teaches us this discrimination and the need to see beneath the surface of things. It combines the desire for self-preservation with the desire to serve and emphasizes the need for a firm foundation to stand on.” from The Wisdom of Trees by Jane Gifford
+// When you walk on, think of what trees are missing here in the forest //
-// think of different ways of reproduction //
@@ Line 357: / Line 372: @@
-Duties: from cradle to cradle: everything can be used, sap is used for wine, honey, sugar and can be drank in spring as a long-life-elixir; the skin was used for writing (2000y ago in teaching of Buddha; the name would be originally from sanskrit 'burgha' which means 'writing on a tree' or from Ghotic 'bairths' which means light), skin can also be used to light a fire in a wet place, or for shoes, coats, canoes; wood is used for furniture; leaves and buttons are used for soap, oil, paint
+// Observe, touch and peel some of its skin, it is harmless and it allows you to start a fire when there is no dry paper available //
-character: Lady of the Woods, symbol of light, new spring, elegance & grace
+The birch is said to be the Lady of the Woods, the tree of the future. It is a pioneer tree that does not demand for high maintenance, but can grow on unfertile and bare soils, just like the larch (see below).
+It symbolizes the idea 'from cradle to cradle': everything of the birch can be used. Its sap is a natural shampoo, and can be a remedy for dysentery and urinary infections. It is also used for wine, honey, sugar and can be drank in spring as a long-life-elixir.
+The skin can be used to light a fire in a wet place, or for shoes, coats, canoes; its wood is used for furniture; leaves and buttons are used for soap, oil, paint. The oil from Birch bark is used for treating skin conditions, and insect repellent.
+About 2000 years ago the birch was mentioned in teachings of Buddha; the name 'Birch' would be originally from the Sanskrit word 'burgha' which means 'writing on a tree' and thus it is said that its skin was also used for writing.
+The name would also find its origins in the Ghotic 'bairths', which means light. For Germans and Celts the birch was a holy tree. As the birch is one of the earliest to gain its spring leaves, it is the tree of youth and the new year and its birch rods were used to drive out the spirit of the old year. Birch is symbol of light, new spring, elegance and grace.
+Criminals and psychic patients would be beaten with birch rods to chase bad spirits.
+In Wales, the birch is a tree of love and wreaths of birch are woven as love tokens, its trunk used for the maypole. Like many trees with protective properties, birch boughs over cradles and carriages protect infants against the glamour of the Little People.
-// what trees are missing? //
+// When you walk on, think of the different ways trees reproduce //
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-Friends: toads, bats
+// Try to reach as high as the lork does //
-Duties: wood is used for fences, bats, staircases, telephone poles
-Character: is a pioneer, the first to come back after the ice age, can survive in very austere environments, did not evolve in reproduction system (gymnosperm (naaktzadige) vs seeds & sperm of the flowering plants), fertilization through wind (vs also insects for flowering plants)
+The larch stands for survival. It was the first species to migrate back north after Ice Age. Larch can survive in very austere environments, but cannot stand heavy pollution. It creates symbiosis with mushroomlike fungi that inhabit its roots in a friendly way and allow the larch to absorb more minerals. Toads and bats are great friends of the larch.
-check story on tannine
+Larch is the only species of its sort that looses its leafs in winter. Unlike other trees and plants, larch did not evolve into the sophisticated reproductive system of the angiosperms. The gemma of the larch is not entirely covered by the leaves of the flower. There is no pollen tube that leads the way trough the cells in order to reach its destination. And as a consequence, there is no double fertilization, which is typical for angiosperms, where one embryo will survive, while the other one will serve as a food stock for the first one.
+Larch produces one of the toughest woods obtained from conifers and is also resistant to woodworm. It is widely used in construction, for railway sleepers, cabinet work, fences, staircases, telephone poles.
+Large quantities of resin are obtained by tapping the trunk. Small holes are bored into the trunk, most resin being obtained from near the centre of the trunk. When properly made, the same borehole can be used for 20 - 30 years. The resin has a wide range of uses including wood preservatives, varnish, medicinal etc. It needs no preparation other than straining through a cloth to remove plant debris etc. The hole is made in the spring and the resin extracted in the autumn. Resin can be extracted from May to October.
 // We thought of birth, when you walk on, think how is death present //
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-dominant
+// Feel the softness of its skin, enjoy its leaves when raining, observe its beauty and grace and in early spring, picture its fluorescent leaves //
-duties: name: in German 'buch' is the same word foor book, wood is used for printing, buttons and young leaves in spring can be eaten in salad
-character: very sensitive to the wind, low spread roots (vs oak), very thin and soft skin, shuts its trunk with leaves like a coat because otherwise it get sunburned and can die; has a beautiful green in spring (fluo), and buttons in the form of writing pens; can be called the tree of elegance & beauty but also of tendencies (that can die easily), will have to migrate notrht due to climate changes, because it needs sun & water at its feet
+Like the Birch, the Beech has a strongly feminine presence, but while birch is a "lady," beech is a queen. Sometimes known as the Mother of the Woods, she stands in stately feminine counterpart to the kingly oak. Her gifts are prosperity, but also wisdom, and she may grant knowledge to those who are aware of her presence. She can help you let go of rigid ideas and move forward in faith and openness.
+Forêt de Soignes is known as the 'beech cathedral', but most of the beeches are very old, too old to provide good wood. The beech forest can be compared to an old people's resthome. It is most probable that the beech will migrate north following the climate changes. Therefore, most beeches are replaced by a diversity of trees, aiming to restore the woods as they existed before the 18th century.
+% of the Forêt de Soignes belongs to the Brussels Region, 56% to Flanders and 6% to Wallonia. Only Brussels has decided to keep part of the 'beech cathedral' as a heritage for the future.
+In German 'buch' is the same word for book and for beech. Indeed, beech wood was used for the letters of the first printing machines and for the illustrative woodcuts. Beech has made the printing revolution possible, And its skin is as thin as paper. In spring the buttons of a beech look like pens you only have to drop in ink so you can save all knowledge for future generations. The buttons and young leaves in spring can also be eaten in salad.
+Beeches tend to grow their leaves in order to cover all air above them and if necessary, they wear them as a coat along their trunks. This is due to the fact that beeches are highly sensitive to sunlight, and if they're exposed, they'll get sunburned. It is great for walkers and joggers and picnickers in rainy Belgium. Find yourself a beech and you'll keep dry.
+Being highly sensitive and very graceful, beech is thus also a very dominant species. Not many plants can stand the shade of the beech. And once there are some beeches present in a forest, the spread very quickly.
+But one tempest or heavy winds can be enough to make the beech stumble. Unlike the oak, beech roots are very superficial. During walks in Forêt de Soignes, you'll encounter frequently a fallen beech with its roots standing straight up as a natural wall to climb.
 // As a ritual to end this walk and celebrate your membership, find a new place for that something you picked up //
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 ==== Start ====
-La Bourse/De Beurs at Boulevard Anspach laan in the centre of Brussels; you can reach this place by tram 3 or 4.
+Café De Markten at Oude Graanmarkt/Vieux Marché aux Grains in the centre of Brussels; you can reach this place by tram 3 or 4.
@@ Line 424: / Line 461: @@
 ===== A little introduction =====
+During this walk you will meet some of the arboreal persona that survive in the centre of this European, Belgian and Flemish capital. We use the word 'survive' because it is quite unusual to be in a place where trees are such a tiny minority compared to all other species living in a city. The species we find in the city are still anonymous but brave and courageaous trees.
+We propose you to meet these rare co-citizens and help them out of their anonimity, by becoming friends with them and adopting them as part of your social network, speak about them as you speak about your friends and family, share their stories.
-During this walk you will meet some of the arboreal persona that survive in the centre of this European, Belgian and Flemish capital.
+Ownership and management of the trees in Brussels' public spaces depends on the ownership of the street they are found in. This can be one of the nineteen Communes, or the Region (and in some cases the Royal Foundation). If it is the Region that owns the tree, it will have been allocated a number and will be part part of a three-year survey and maintenance schedule carried out by the BIM/IBGE. If it is owned by the Commune, the management is done by the Commune’s department for green spaces (if it exists).
-more humans than trees
+The trees you will meet today are being taken care of by the Department of Green Zones of the City of Brussels. This means that they were probably only randomly taken care of before the completion of the inventory system that started in 2011. Newly planted trees have been registered since 2008.
-regional roads
-city roads, different boroughs
-different criteria to plant trees
+Because anything can be created and managed with language and stories. The legal system that rules our worlds is created with those tools. We manage our individual and legal identities every single day. So why would we not be able to create new identities, legally and socially, such an arboral identity for something as lively as a tree? By sharing their stories we make these trees visible as co-citizens, and help to construct their arboreal identity. We have one good reason to do so, our survival.
+Trees are our ancestors. Without trees we would never have existed. Trees are the former leaders of this planet and by now, every single human with or without power, knows that we will have to grant them their leadership again, at least partly, if we want to enjoy this planet for some more generations.
+People moan about it, are afraid of the consequences it will have on their own lifes. But in fact, granting trees their authority again is not difficult at all. Just learn to reconnect to the energy of the tree, listen to the tree, and you will discover inside your soul all the knowledge, experience, ideas and values that are necessary to melt anxiousness, greediness, hurry, control and all other tools that cut trees out of power.
+// So put in your earplugs, breathe deeply, and slowly put one foot in front of the other. At La Bourse you will meet Prutske, our most legendary co-citizen. //
-===== Enjoy the walk ! =====
-Walk on the square in front of the hotel. Near the road you'll find a stand with the most famous arboreal persona of Brussels.
@@ Line 444: / Line 484: @@
 Fig tree, vijgenboom, figuier, Ficus
+{{:vijgenboom.jpg?200|}}
-==== * Elms ====
-the twins
+Please meet Prutske, the only tree we found with a real name!
+And what a name.
+Prutske is the Flemish Brussels word for 'a tiny little thing of no value'. The name appears in the database of remarkable trees [[http://bomen-inventaris.irisnet.be/arbre/Brussel_Beursplein_Beursplein/990/]], an initiative of the Heritage department of the Brussels Capital Region.
+If anyone knows the story of how this name was given, please contact bxl@fo.am!
+Prutske has been registered since 2002, but we don't know his exact age.
+The database of Remarkable Trees in Brussels has no legal value yet. The trees listed in here can be added by anyone, if only some criteria are respected.
+The best way to greet Prutske is to take away some of the garbage that his roots seem to collect easily. Prutske is said to be in weak condition. So any love you can give in any form will be highly appreciated.
-==== *Wild chestnut ====
+So what makes Prutske a remarkable tree?
+First of all, Prutske is a rare migrant. His origins lie near the Mediterranean. A fig tree can only survive in a sunny area and when it is protected from the wind. The presence of this fig tree in the middle of the city centre can be called highly unsuspected and surprising. Secondly, following the database, it is the 3rd biggest fig tree of its species in the Brussels Region. And finally, you can observe fruits – sometimes dry – all year long. Prutske must be a cultivated fig tree, because in order to produce fruits, a fig tree needs the help of the fig wasp, a tiny wasp that cannot survive in our regions.
+The symbiotical story of the wasp and the fig tree is beautifully portrayed in The Queen of Trees, Deeble & Stone, 2005. Watch on youtube [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy86ak2fQJM]].
+// While you walk to the next tree, try to think of the kind of relationships and networks trees maintain in the city. It is very different to the networks of trees in the forest. But after all, just like human beings, trees are at the same time needed and needy. //
+==== * White Elms, Amerikaanse Iep, Ormes d'Amérique, Ulmus americana ====
+{{:imag1565.jpg?200|}}
+At the corner of the Rue de Laeken and the rue des Augustins you can greet the twins, two elms that are registered on the conservation list of the Brussels Region since 2006. Elms are known to be city trees. Amsterdam is full of them. They can live for several hundred years.
+// You can get to know these elms by watching closely for five minutes the silhouettes of their crowns against the clouds. //
+They used to be three, a little sisterhood. The third was removed for security reasons in 2007. The reason is not clear to us yet. Maybe it was affected by the Dutch elm disease. This disease is caused by a member of the sac fungi (Ascomycota) and is spread by the elm bark beetle. Although believed to be originally native to Asia, the disease has been accidentally introduced into America and Europe, where it has devastated native populations of elms which had not had the opportunity to evolve resistance to the disease. The only solution is to cut the ill tree and burn it. In the long term they inject vaccins and cultivate hybrid elms.
+All in all, these two elms resisted to long term pollution and illnesses. There heighth, their beauty and their scarcity have brought them to the Brussels Region Government, who voted on the 17th January 2008 for their protection. Looking at what this means, one could say that all trees of Brussels should be on that list:
+a) It is prohibited to use, store or produce substances that can cause damage to the development and the growth of the trees, the fauna and flora and the water quality.
+b) It is prohibited to place advertising panels.
+c) It is prohibitied to light a fire.
+d) It is prohibited to leave or store materials, rubble, waste, garbage and rubbish of any kind.
+e) Normal maintenance of the tree (cutting dead or broken branches, taking care of wounds) is compulsory. One defines normal maintenance by the size of the broken or damaged branches whose section diameter in their insertion is not larger than 12cm.
+f) It is prohibited to trench or highten the soil.
+Read the full document (in Fr/Nl): [[http://www.monument.irisnet.be/images/REGISTRE/AG/042_002.pdf]]
+Link to the database: [[http://bomen-inventaris.irisnet.be/arbres/Brussel_Augustijnenstraat__4/681/]]
+Apart from being remarkable or preserved a tree can also be protected in the Brussels Region. There is only one such tree, a Lebanon cedar in the Avenue Palmerstonlaan. This is the only tree that cannot be cut without public permission and has to be replaced when it dies.
+Remember that in German mythology our genealogy goes back to two trees. The first woman was created from the wood of an elm, the first man from the wood of an ash.
+// When you walk on, we invite you to think of the fact that many trees live for more than several hundred years, some oaks even for six hundred years. These elms are said to be more than a hundred years old. If they could speak, what would they tell us? What has changed since their youth? And what kind of historical events did they witness? //
+==== *Horse chestnut, witte paardenkastanje, le marronnier d'Inde, Aesculus hippocastanum ====
+{{:afgehaald21aprilb_029.jpg?200|}}
+We're happy to introduce you to the horse chestnut, the king of this small pardise of biodiversity in the middle of town.
+// If you're many, the best way to get to know this tree is to form a circle at the far ends of its crown. If you're alone, you can walk the distance. This makes you realize how wide a tree can be, even in the city. And how wide his roots grow under us. //
+The horse chestnut ows its success to king Leopold II. Thanks to him some avenues are still gifted with magnificent rows of horse chestnut. This species is well adapted to the urban environment, although his fast growing branches are often heavily cut and his roots can cause damage to footpaths.
+In times of crisis you might be happy to know that the roasted seed of the horse chestnut is used as a coffee substitute. The cooked seed can also be dried, ground into a powder and used as a gruel. The seed is quite large, about 3cm in diameter, and is easily harvested.
+Unfortunately the seed is also rich in saponins, these must be removed before it can be used as a food and this process also removes many of the minerals and vitamins, leaving behind mainly starch. The seed contains up to 40% water, 8 - 11% protein and 8 - 26% toxic saponins[218]. The seed needs to be leached of toxins before it becomes safe to eat - the Indians would do this by slow-roasting the nuts (which would have rendered the saponins harmless) and then cutting them into thin slices, putting them into a cloth bag and rinsing them in a stream for 2 till 5 days.
+Saponins in the seed are used as a soap substitute. The saponins can be easily obtained by chopping the seed into small pieces and infusing them in hot water. This water can then be used for washing the body, clothes etc. Its main drawback is a lingering odour of horse chestnuts. A yellow dye is obtained from the bark. The flowers contain the dyestuff quercetin. The wood is soft, light, and not durable. Of little commercial value, it is used for furniture, boxes, charcoal ad to be burned.
+Source: [[http://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Aesculus+hippocastanum]]
+// When you walk on, we invite you to think about the future. What would be the best kind of the tree for the future of this city? What would we need a tree for in 2060? //
+==== *Imaginary tree rue Dansaertstraat ====
+{{:afgehaald21aprilb_031.jpg?200|}}
+For those who witnessed the leak in the water pipe under this street some years ago, it is not a surprise you don't find any trees at this side of the rue Dansaert. Therefore we invite you to imagine your own tree, one that can be of help for future generations of this city.
+What tree did you think of while walking here? And why?
+And would you consider it to resist to the criteria of today's choices for planting trees in the cities?
+It is no coincidence that the actual trees in the city are very different species to the ones we find in the forest. There are only a few types of trees that can survive in the city. This depends on several factors: their resistance to salt (in winter), vandalism, pollution, pressure on their root systems, and also the conditions of various pipelines under the roads (gas, water, electricity, metro…).
+The beech, the poplar, the willow and many types of fruit trees have crawling roots, that can be visible at the surface. These trees are highly sensitive. It is important that their roots are not damaged, because these wounds serve as large entrance gates for all kind of illness agents. Parking cars, cutting the grass, playing at their roots will asphyxiate them. Water and a lot of air in the soil are needed to guarantee their metabolism. This said, a lot of citizens don't like this type of trees for a very different reason: the leaves and the fruits that fall of in autumn.
+// Take a picture of your tree, write down its specificities, turn it into story that you can tell to yourself or your friend while walking back to Vieux Marché aux Grains for the last series of trees. //
+==== * Plane, plataan, platane, Platanus – all together they form the Brussels' Court of Peace ====
-Leopold
+{{:platanen.jpg?200|}}
-==== *Imaginary tree Dansart ====
+Please meet the toughest of all trees, the planes. These trees do resist smoothly to any kind of pullution, vandalism and root pressure. If they happen to be damaged or attacked, they react as snakes do: they grow a new skin and let go of the old jacket. They are abundantly present in Brussels, because people appreciate their presence very much.
+In a more negative way, one could compare these trees to plastic living beings. Opposite to most trees, they do not go into symbiosis with other species. This is due to the fact that none of the fungi, insects or other friends migrated with them to the North.
+These planes are hybrids of Western and Eastern planes.
-==== *Platanus the Court of justice ====
+Therefore, the planes seem to be a beautiful metaphor for people who arrive in Brussels and for the openness of inhabitants towards them. We all resist the sometimes unfortunate conditions of this place, most of us arrived alone or in company of soulmates, and it takes time to get into other symbiosis than what we grew up with. But more than any other tree, planes bring with them new perspectives, flexible living, sweet shades, nice sounds and the breeze of mediterranean plazas.
+Therefore we baptized the trees of this square as the new wise people, always ready to advise and share, if only we are ready to listen to them.
+// Whenever necessary, you can make a fist, whisper your problem into it, put your hand on the bark of one of the planes, and listen carefully to their answer. Do not forget to thank the tree when you leave. //
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