Protected Ficus Tree - Taichung City, Taiwan
The government in the Taiwanese city of Taichung deserves praise for designating many of its street trees "protected trees." The majority of these special trees are old, large or have some religious significance. This tree is a Ficus microcarpa, locally known as the Taiwan banyan. A hardy species, it is very popular with avian wildlife, and many species of birds enjoy its fruit. Both Taichung and Taipei (Taiwan's capital) are in the process of tagging and labelling all of their street trees, which includes a small sign or tag depicting the tree's species along with a QR code. They often add basic information about the tree to educate the public about its importance, either on the tree itself or nearby. This tree (#0216001) is located steps away from the new railway station in the center of Taichung. Photos taken in April 2017.
The Sacred Banyan Tree at Guangfu Temple - Near Puli, Nantou County, Taiwan.
This sacred banyan was planted next to the Guangfu Temple when it was established in 1945. Although it is relatively young for a large banyan, the canopy of this unique tree reached over 500 pings (1653 sq. meters, 17787 sq. feet) by 2023 and provides welcome shade to hundreds of congregants during outdoor ceremonies. The tree itself radiates a benign energy of peace and protection. In order to keep its hundreds of branches from breaking, workers installed a network of steel supports. More supports will likely be needed, since the tree continues to expand. It is located near the city of Puli in Central Taiwan. Address: 87 Zhonggua Road, Puli Township. Photos by Shi-Wei Shei and Nathaniel Altman.
Gingko Tree - Tokyo, Japan
This beautiful gingko tree is approximately 400 years old and was one of the few trees that survived the firebombings that devastated much of Tokyo during the Second World War. Located on the grounds of a Buddhist temple and cemetery, the bark of this ancient tree still shows charring from the fires some 70 years before. Photo taken in 2012.
Pomegranate tree, Anadolu Kavağı, Turkey.
The pomegranate (Punica granatum) is considered to be one of the most sacred trees of the Middle East as both a Tree of Life and a Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. In Palestine, it was believed that every fruit of this tree contained a seed from Paradise, and to this day fresh pomegranate juice is given to babies in the hope that the juice from the "Paradise seed" will be consumed by the baby. Photo taken in 2005.
Japanese Cedar at the Makata Shrine, near Narita City (Chiba Prefecture), Japan.
The Kanto region's largest Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) rises into the sky beside the famous Makata Shrine. This magnificent cedar (known as sugi in Japanese) is estimated to be 1200 years old. It measures 26 feet (8 meters) across at eye level, and is over 130 feet (40 meters) high. This ancient tree is revered as a guardian of longevity and as a protector against evil by both Buddhists and practitioners of Shintō, the ethnic religion of Japan. It has been designated a "natural monument" by the government of Chiba Prefecture. Photo by Masashi Tamura.
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