Episode 54: Mast Seeding and Anne Frank’s Horse Chestnut

 

Happy Treefort 2019! In celebration of Treefort Music Fest, every episode of our show in March is about trees.

Certain tree species, like oaks and beeches, can go several years without producing hardly any seeds. Then, in a single year, every tree in the population becomes loaded with seeds. This is called mast seeding. Daniel explores a couple of reasons why trees might do this.

Memorial trees are common throughout Boise’s parks. Casey talks about a tree that is particularly special. It’s a young horse chestnut sapling that was grown from seed collected from the tree that Anne Frank looked out on during the Holocuast. You can see it at the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial near the Greenbelt.

Further Reading:

• The Guardian – Mystery of the Mast Years
• Wikipedia – Anne Frank tree
• Boise Weekly – The City of Trees

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This episode aired on Radio Boise in March 2019 and featured music by Toy Zoo.