Technology1 min read

Looking for an ancient tree worth a detour? There’s an app for that

By · Via The Guardian Environment · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The mobile application enables contributors to document unusual specimens ranging from Malaysian baobabs to Scotland's estimated 5,000-year-old Fortingall yew. Conceived during visits to Lisbon, the platform is now preparing to introduce urban walking routes that link significant trees in metropolitan areas. Dendrologist Dan Crowley emphasized that regular community observations through changing seasons provide valuable support for conservation, especially as hot and dry weather strains tree health.

Key points

  • The mobile platform allows users worldwide to map, log visits to, and photograph remarkab…: The mobile platform allows users worldwide to map, log visits to, and photograph remarkable trees.
  • Future developments will introduce dedicated walking routes connecting notable trees situ…: Future developments will introduce dedicated walking routes connecting notable trees situated within major urban centers.
  • Dendrologist Dan Crowley believes seasonal public documentation aids conservation efforts…: Dendrologist Dan Crowley believes seasonal public documentation aids conservation efforts amid rising environmental pressures like hot, dry summers.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

While most people spend their holidays sightseeing or lazing by a pool, Hidde Burgmans would rather seek out special trees.

While not an expert in the subject, the 37-year-old from Baarn in the Netherlands has developed what he cheerfully admits is something of an obsession. He even managed to propose to his girlfriend, Nadia Roeleveld, under a particularly special cedar in Japan: “My fiancee always laughs, because she’s like, ‘OK, we have to make a detour again because Hidde found another big tree’.”

Burgmans is the creator of Ancient Trees, an app that maps remarkable old trees around the world and shows users which specimens are nearby. Users upload their favourites, along with photos and descriptions, and add the ones they visit to their profile. Trees featured range from Malaysian baobabs to the Fortingall yew in Perthshire, Scotland, which is thought to be about 5,000 years old.

The idea for the app took root on work trips to Lisbon. With time to kill between meetings, Burgmans wandered through the city’s parks and found himself among century-old jacarandas and wild figs.…

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