The Kaohsiung City Agriculture Bureau last week released a series of short movies about eight local trees that are at least one hundred years old. The movies, called “Stories of Old Trees,” aim to raise awareness about the historic trees.
There are a total of 605 old trees in Kaohsiung that have been designated the city’s historic trees for their importance in the city’s cultural history. According to the Agriculture Bureau, the historic trees were testimony to local development and have deep historic significance. In addition to setting up signs and regularly carrying out health checks on the trees, the bureau recently made a series of short movies about eight old trees featuring aerial footage captured using drones to record the beauty of the trees from every angle.
Among the protected old trees are about 80 rain trees. One, actually featured in the films, is a 121-year-old tree in Jiasing Elementary School in Kaohsiung’s Gangshan District. The rain tree, which has the widest crown of any tree in Taiwan, is a valuable part of the school’s heritage, and has been voted the nation’s most beautiful school tree. In order to preserve its underground roots, the school authorities decided to stop the running track short of the area surrounding the tree when building the sports field, so the school now has the only U-shaped track in Taiwan.
Photo: Chen Wen-chan, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者陳文嬋
The documentaries “The stories of old trees” can now be watched on the bureau’s Web site and on YouTube.
(Liberty Times, translated by Tu Yu-an)
高雄市農業局上週推出「老樹的故事」短影,紀錄當地八棵百年以上老樹故事,盼喚起社會大眾愛護老樹。
高雄市有六○五棵特定紀念老樹,為當地重要的綠色文化資產。農業局表示,特定紀念老樹因見證地方發展,深具歷史意義。農業局除了豎牌紀念、定期健診,更出動空拍機,從高空及三百六十度完整紀錄八棵老樹的美麗姿態。
列管老樹中有八十多棵雨豆樹,其中岡山區嘉興國小百年雨豆樹一百二十一歲,樹冠幅是全台之冠,為鎮校之寶,獲選為「全國最美校樹」,也在紀錄片中出現。校方為保留老樹根系生長,蓋建操場跑到時捨棄一截跑道不鋪,成為全國僅有的U型跑道。
八支老樹的紀錄短片現在都可在農業局官網及YouTube上觀賞。
(自由時報記者陳文嬋)
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