There are countless examples of trees that have emerged survivors of disastrous events.
Let us look at some of these so called Survivor Trees.
Callery Pear: 9/11 Survivor
The Survivor Tree blooms as spring arrives.
The tree was planted in the 1970s.
When it was recovered, the 8-foot tall tree was in bad shape and had only one living branch.
The tree has since been nursed back to health and replanted near theNational 9/11 Memorialin Lower Manhattan.
Some 650 people were inside the building when the bomb went off.
Among the survivors was a hundred-year-old American elm that stood inconspicuous in the parking lot across the street.
Workers would arrive early just to be able to park under the trees shade.
But the community came together and rescued the tree.
Today, the Survivor Tree thrives surrounded by special features that protect the tree and highlights it.
Photo credit:Dustin M. Ramsey/Wikimedia
A graphic showing the engineering behind the trees protection.
Photo credit:bombing.newsok.com
The damaged Federal Building in Oklahoma City after the bombing.
Out of 70,000 trees, the 250-year-old Miracle pine tree in Rikuzentakata was the only survivor.
The Miracle Pine when it was still standing.
Aside from those new saplings, hundreds of trees that were near the hypocenter withstood the blast.
Though broken and badly charred, they survived and soon were healthy again.
These trees sent a powerful message to the survivors and gave them hope that they could rebuild their city.
Today, they are officially registered as A-bombed trees.
The tree closest to the hypocenter is a Weeping Willow, which stands 370 meters away from the blast.
Another Weeping Willow stands near Seishonen and the Baseball Stadium, 450 meters away from ground zero.
Hiroshima after the nuclear attack.
Photo credit:hiroshima.australiandoctor.com.au
An A-bomb survived eucalyptus.
Photo credit:ken/Flickr
A sign identifying a A-bombed tree.
A tree near the edge of the impact survived and was spontaneously converted into a shrine for mourning.
