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King of the Forest (ii)


King of the Forest (ii)
Photo Information
Copyright: Janice Dunn (Janice) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3315 W: 148 N: 6113] (18648)
Genre: Plants
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005-10-30
Categories: Trees
Camera: Canon EOS 300D, Tamron 28-300 XR
Exposure: f/5.6, 1/80 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Travelogue: Northland via West & East Coasts
Theme(s): New Zealand native fauna & flora [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2005-11-09 3:30
Viewed: 1602
Points: 20
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
THE MIGHTY KAURI
AGATHIS AUSTRALIS

This is as much as I could fit Tane Mahuta in when I was up close under the tree. It was raining quite a bit, but under the trees it was rather sheltered. Look at the workshop to see the spreading branches at the top of the trunk. Notice all the extra growth growing on the tree where the branches start growing. The leaves you can see around the tree are NOT Kauri leaves – they are from neighbouring trees.

Adolescent trees form a tapering trunk and distinctive narrow conical crown. Tall adolescent kauris have narrow pole trunks but as trees mature, the trunk thickens and the lower branches are shed, giving form to the clean straight trunk of the adult tree.

When the Polynesian came to NZ about 900 years ago, Kauri forests covered much of the top half of the North Island, but the Maori’s used fire to clear the land and devastated much of the North Island forests and the eastern sides of the South Island. Most of the lowland forests were left as scrub.

The arrival of the European to NZ in the 1800’s brought many troubles and changes to NZ. By 1900 over 1.2 million hectares of kauri forest had been condensed to less than 200,000 hectares. Today only 5,000 hectares of kauri forest remain. Kauris are among the world's mightiest trees, growing to more than 50 metres tall, with trunk girths of up to 16 metres.

Dimensions of Tane Mahuta, lord of the Forest:
Trunk height: 17.7m – 58 feet
Total height: 51.51m – 169 feet
Trunk Girth: 13.77m – 45.2 feet
Diameter: 4.38m – 14.4 feet
Trunk volume: 244.5m

Maori used their timber for boat building, carving and housing and their gum for starting fires and chewing (after it had been soaked in water and mixed with the milk of the puha plant).

The arrival of European settlers last century saw the decimation of these magnificent forests. Sailors used the trunks of young kauri for ships' masts and spars and settlers who followed discovered the mature trees yielded sawn timber of unsurpassed quality for building.

www.doc.govt.nz/Conservation
red45, wallhalla15, scottevers7, marhowie, dew77, livios, liquidsunshine, hummingbird24, Luc has marked this note useful
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To hummingbird24: ThanksJanice 1 11-10 04:01
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2705 W: 74 N: 8864] (30243)
  • [2005-11-09 3:37]

Return of the King ;-) Again it looks impressive! Very interesting story and good picture Janice! Sky is slightly OE, but it is mibor nit. Tree is detailed and POV is good.

Very sunny morning today!

Hello Janice, this is a another great photo about Tane Mahuta. I like big old trees. Great colours, excellent sharpness, a very nice composition. Thanks for posting.

Hi Janice,
The closer view gives me a better look at this unique tree. The have an interesting branching pattern.great notes to explain its history.
Scott

Nice closeup of this behemoth Janice. Good details and colors with a great POV. Thanx for braving the rain to get this one. Great note making it a very interesting post. Well done & Thank you.

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4774 W: 294 N: 4020] (13209)
  • [2005-11-09 10:28]

Hello Janice!
Very nice capture of this interesting tree.I liked framing,details and composition a lot.TFS...:-)

  • Great 
  • livios Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2156 W: 322 N: 4258] (16906)
  • [2005-11-09 11:26]

Janice, I checked this and the workshop; I liked both.

I usually don't shoot trees, but I like pov on this one.

Maybe, I'd try to add some contrast, but that's just an opinion.

Return of the kind indeed ;)
It must be great feeling to stand under this tree.
It's another nice shot and the WS photo is very interesting too.
I like it very much.
WELL DONE & TFS

Nice shot Janice,
This is a big tree, I could quite happily live in it!!
Great shot and notes.
Thanks for posting.

I used to love to climb trees when I was much younger, the higher the better.

This one I would have liked to try.

Nice details and note, thank you Janice!

  • Great 
  • Luc Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1872 W: 304 N: 4301] (14733)
  • [2005-11-10 23:40]

Personal assessment of the photo: very good.
There are many toothpicks in this tree ;-) I wish he will live still a very long time.
Capacity of evocation in me: strong.
Strong visual impact.
Aptness of the photo for the site: excellent.
Personal assessment of the note: complete.
Thank you very much Janice.

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