Golden willow cut down by storm lifted to new life in Helsinki
80-year-old tree removed from earth by the roots and inserted into larger hole
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Crane operator Harri Laituri had a rare task to do on Thursday when he lifted Finland’s largest golden willow back to a standing position in the Kaisaniemi botanical garden in downtown Helsinki.
The tree fell down in a storm just before Christmas. After that, a hare made its nest under the trunk of the willow. On Thursday it needed to abandon its nest in a hurry when its shelter began to slowly rise up.
The first attempt at lifting the tree was not successful, because part of the tree’s roots were still stuck in the ground. "The trunk could not be straightened in that way. It needed to be detached from the ground completely. A chainsaw was used to make neat cuts to the strongest roots", gardener Marko Pesu explains.
A larger hole was then dug for the tree, which was then lifted into the hole and supported with metal tubes. The trunk and roots of the tree, together with all the attached soil, weighed around 17 tons according to the crane’s scale. This was much more than had been estimated beforehand.
Pesu expects the garden’s only golden willow to survive the ordeal intact. The tree was originally planted in 1924.
The tree will be watered and fertilised over the next three summers so that the smaller root system receives sufficient nutrients.
"Willows are good at recovering, and the trunk had been found to be healthy in an inspection last fall. The top of the tree was just too big, and there was not enough time to cut off some of the branches before the tree fell", Pesu explains.
Now the treetop has been trimmed, and the ten-metre high trunk boasts a circumference of over three metres.
No one in Finland, including Pesu, has experience from a similar operation. It will take a few years before the success of the replanting will be seen. Pesu estimates the cost of the operation at some 1,500 euros.
The golden willow is a cross of two types of willow. It is a favoured tree in European parks, by virtue of its yellow buds, which vary in lengh from 100 to 200 centimetres.
The tree fell down in a storm just before Christmas. After that, a hare made its nest under the trunk of the willow. On Thursday it needed to abandon its nest in a hurry when its shelter began to slowly rise up.
The first attempt at lifting the tree was not successful, because part of the tree’s roots were still stuck in the ground. "The trunk could not be straightened in that way. It needed to be detached from the ground completely. A chainsaw was used to make neat cuts to the strongest roots", gardener Marko Pesu explains.
A larger hole was then dug for the tree, which was then lifted into the hole and supported with metal tubes. The trunk and roots of the tree, together with all the attached soil, weighed around 17 tons according to the crane’s scale. This was much more than had been estimated beforehand.
Pesu expects the garden’s only golden willow to survive the ordeal intact. The tree was originally planted in 1924.
The tree will be watered and fertilised over the next three summers so that the smaller root system receives sufficient nutrients.
"Willows are good at recovering, and the trunk had been found to be healthy in an inspection last fall. The top of the tree was just too big, and there was not enough time to cut off some of the branches before the tree fell", Pesu explains.
Now the treetop has been trimmed, and the ten-metre high trunk boasts a circumference of over three metres.
No one in Finland, including Pesu, has experience from a similar operation. It will take a few years before the success of the replanting will be seen. Pesu estimates the cost of the operation at some 1,500 euros.
The golden willow is a cross of two types of willow. It is a favoured tree in European parks, by virtue of its yellow buds, which vary in lengh from 100 to 200 centimetres.
Helsingin Sanomat