China has brought an endangered 300-year-old beaked walnut tree back to life after it was stolen and almost died 9 years ago
- The tree was stolen in 2013 and has suffered poor health for most of its life since, only slowly recovering with close and constant care
- Villagers who lived near the centuries-old tree before it was stolen believe it is a totem, a protective god’s presence
After several days of rain, the air in Liuzhou City, a city in southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, was humid and a little cool at 9am on March 18. Deng Yun was already on his way to Malushan Park to see his “patient,” a 300-year-old beaked walnut tree that was relocated to the park nine years ago.
The beaked walnut tree is a deciduous tree that can grow up to 30 metres tall and is a relatively rare species worldwide. The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species classified the species as endangered in 1999.
This beaked walnut tree, which stands about 17 metres tall and has a diameter of 2 metres, is more fragile than other old trees. Its branches aren’t quite bushy, its leaves are a little lighter in colour, and pieces of artificial bark are clinging to the trunk to protect areas that have been damaged.
The tree’s poor growth stems from when it was stolen on April 20, 2013, from the Lagou County Nature Reserve, 45 kilometres from Liuzhou City.
Villagers living near the reserve have known since childhood that a centuries-old tree grew on the bank of the Longgong River. They believe the tree is a totem, a protective god’s presence.