Wood and water – insights talk

Wood is so commonplace – it’s ‘just there’ – so we don’t think about it much. But if we ‘look inside’ it we discover that it’s complex and fascinating. This free lunchtime talk, with excellent visuals, by Reg Harris will examine wood anatomy and functions, and reveal how the natural process of wood decay has provided the key to the efficient manufacture of the paper products we see and use every day.

It will consider the partnership between the wood components lignin and cellulose that enables trees to handle the forces of gravity and Wellington’s strongest winds.

Wellington Botanic Garden is home to examples of some of the world’s tallest tree species – California coastal redwood and Douglas fir, to mention two – and also the very tall Torrey pine – so the talk will show how the laws of gravity are ‘ignored’ in getting water to the highest reaches of such species.

If we were to form a perfect vacuum within a straw, the pressure outside the straw at sea level would be enough to push water to a maximum height of approximately 10.4 metres…no higher…but trees won’t have a bar of this gravitational nuisance; they get around the problem in their own way!

Free of charge and you’re welcome to bring along your own ‘brown bag’ lunch to enjoy during the talk.

Location: Treehouse Seminar Room, Wellington Botanic Garden, 101 Glenmore St, Kelburn, Wellington