Question: What tree species has evolved to release a herbicide that prevents other trees from growing near it?

A. Quaking Aspen
B. Black Walnut
C. Eastern Hemlock
D. American Beech
E. None of the above

Answer: B. Black Walnut

Trees have evolved in many ways but all seem to have some competitive advantages. Aspen grow very quickly and capture sunlight before others can become established. Hemlock evolved to grow in the shade as a counter to those that grow more quickly, and its foliage is so thick that few, if any, species get enough sunlight to grow beneath it. Beech has several evolutionary strengths; like hemlock, it can grow below the canopy where less sunlight is available. It also is known for its prolific root system, which enables it to “capture” the space created by any new openings in the forest canopy — very sneaky!

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Watch for more Tree Trivia in future editions of our “Finch in the Forest” blog, along with continuing information on why Trees Are The Answer to so many of society’s needs and challenges.

In celebration of Arbor Day (Friday, April 29, 2011), I’m pleased to share the following tree facts compiled by The North Carolina State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

• There are more than 23,000 different kinds of trees in the world.

• Tree wood is a highly organized arrangement of living, dying, and dead cells.

• One large tree can lift up to 100 gallons of water out of the ground and discharge it into the air in a day.

• The beginning and growth of tall woody trees in forests may have played a key role in the extinction of the dinosaurs.

• Trees are the largest living organisms on earth. Some coastal redwoods rise more than 360 feet. A giant sequoia can weigh more than 4 million pounds.

• Trees trap more of the sun’s energy than any other group of organisms — they are in essence big batteries. Only 0.1 percent of the sun’s energy is trapped by organisms, but trees account for 50 percent of that.

• Trees do not grow beyond their ability to support themselves. During periods of stress they shed leaves, flowers, fruit and/or branches.

And let’s not forget that healthy, growing forests pull carbon from our air, helping to mitigate global warming; provide a diversity of wildlife habitat and recreational experiences; and provide the renewable, raw material for the wood and paper products we all depend on every day.

You can learn more about Arbor Day at www.arborday.org.

Papermaking at Finch, 1930s

Papermaking at Finch Today

I’d like to take you on a tour of Finch’s papermaking processes yesterday and today.

Finch has a proud tradition of sustainable forestry and responsible papermaking that extends back to the turn of the 20th century. The top video takes you into our forests and paper mill in the early 1930s when our signature product was newsprint.

The second video shows how we make today’s fine uncoated printing papers, at the same location in Upstate New York, with trees harvested from the same, renewable forests.

We’re proud of our past, and prouder still of what we’re accomplishing today — making and delivering 21st century products with the same values and principles upon which our business was founded in 1865: Honesty. Quality. Stewardship. Continuous Improvement.