What are Drunken Trees

What are Drunken Trees?

Drunken trees are a stand of trees displaced from their normal vertical alignment. This most commonly occurs in northern subarctic taiga forests of black spruce under which intermittent permafrost or ice wedges have melted, causing trees to tilt at various angles. Some trees survive their soil eroding and continue to grow. Others collapse or drown as the subterranean ice melts. As they are staggered across the landscape, people often refer to them as 'drunken trees.'

Drunken Trees are also called, tilted trees or a drunken forest may also be caused by frost heaving, and subsequent palsa development, hummocks, earth flows, forested active rock glaciers, landslides, or earthquakes. In stands of spruce trees of equal age that germinated in the permafrost active layer after a fire. They tilting begin when the trees are 50 to 100 years old, suggesting that surface heaving from new permafrost aggradation can also create drunken forests.

What is Permafrost?

Permafrost soil or rock remains below 0 °C for at least two consecutive years. It forms a solid matrix in the soil which can spread to a depth of hundreds of meters. Permafrost is permanently frozen ground. Nonetheless, climate change has caused much of that ground to melt at an unprecedented rate. The ground buckles and sinks, causing trees to list at extreme angles. Further, the permafrost prevents trees from developing deep root systems. Also, those areas where the permafrost temperature is close to the melting point of water.

Drunken Trees Relations with Climate Change

The climate variations, or loss of surface vegetation from fire, flooding, construction, or deforestation, can thaw the upper extents of the permafrost. This is creating a thermokarst, “the scientific name for a ground slump caused by melting permafrost”. The thermokarst undermines the shallow root bed of trees, triggering them to lean or fall. Thermokarst lakes are enclosed by a ring of drunken trees leaning toward the lake, which makes this land features simply identifiable. When permafrost melts, it affects a lot of erosion; a lot of trees can't stand up straight. If the erosion gets worse, everything goes with it.

Drunken trees may ultimately die from their displacement, and in ice-rich permafrost. The entire drunken forest ecosystem can be damaged by melting. Drunken trees are not totally new phenomenon dendrochronological evidence can date thermokarst tilting back to at least the 19th century. Permafrost is naturally in disequilibrium with climate, and much of the permafrost that remains is in a relict state. However, the rate of thawing has been increasing, and a great deal of the remaining permafrost is expected to thaw during the 21st century. At times the trees survive the pressure and continue growing, uprighting themselves to vertical. However, on the other side, trees collapsed or drown from rising water tables as subterranean ice melts. Because such trees seem to stagger across the landscape, people often call them "drunken trees."

Moreover, Al Gore cited drunken trees caused by melting permafrost in Alaska. This is as another evidence of global warming, as part of his presentation in the 2006 documentary film An Inconvenient Truth. Alike warming leading to permafrost thawing in neighboring Siberia has been credited to a combination of anthropogenic climate change, a cyclical atmospheric phenomenon known as the Arctic oscillation.

Moreover, the albedo positive feedbacks caused by both when melting ice expose bare ground and ocean which absorb, rather than reflect, solar radiation.  The melting permafrost isn’t just affecting the trees. But it is also having an enormous impact on the people that live and work in the zone. Thus, slumping land cracks pavement breaks pipelines, and causes sinkholes to open, swallowing roads, and buildings. Source: CP

Nature's First Aid Kid

Be it a headache, an injury or a wound, our first instinct is to reach for a painkiller. But did you know that your kitchen holds several remedies to ease and manage pain and discomfort? The next time you need something to make you feel better, try some of nature’s own medication. Put Together a Natural First Aid Kit. Here's what you should keep on hand. 

Aloe Vera

Applying aloe vera on wounds helps them heal faster as glucomannan a compound in aloe vera fights inflammation and helps speed up the growth of healthy new cells.

Apple Cider Vinegar

A teaspoon of apple cider vinegar diluted in water is the ideal remedy for people suffering from heartburn on a regular basis. the mixture, taken at least half an hour before a meal, helps keeps acidity at bay for 24 hours. Apple cider vinegar contains acids like tartaric and malic acid that help breakdown fats and proteins, elements that cause acidity and acid reflux before the food reaches the esophagus.

Blueberries

A cup of blueberries a day helps fight UTIs (Urinary tract infections) or bladder infections as they contain a compound known as tannin that doesn’t let bacteria latch onto the wall of the bladder to cause infections.

Buttered Vegetables

Latest research shows that consuming your veggies with a dash of butter helps absorbs carotenoids better boost your immune system thereby fighting commons colds more effectively.

Cherries

Eating at least 20 cherries daily helps fight chronic pain caused by arthritis, headaches, gout, etc. Cherries contain anthocyanins that help fight inflammation. Research suggests that by eating cherries daily you can cut back on medicines and help ease the pain to a minimum.

Cloves

This is not an old wives tale; cloves or clove ail is known to make toothache disappear for at least two hours. Cloves contain a compound known as eugenol that has powerful anesthetic properties;

Fish Oil

Fish oil contains two essential omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA that help fight inflammation. Research shows that people suffering from chronic pains such as rheumatoid arthritis, sinusitis, joint pain, and swelling were able to reduce their drug intake once they started a regimen of fish oil supplements. Eating fish regularly also helps people with gastrointestinal troubles such as frequent indigestion, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, etc.

Garlic

Garlic oil does wonders for earache as it contains compounds known as allicin that helps fight bacteria, especially in the ear.

Ginger

Ginger helps soothe muscle and joint pains by blocking pain-triggering hormones. Add two teaspoons of ginger to your meals daily for at least two months to reap the benefits of gingerols, the component in ginger that helps block pain.

Honey

If you are suffering from mouth sores, try dabbing the sores with honey; it contains natural compounds that fight inflammation faster than any other medicine for mouth sores.

Lemonade

Two glasses of lemonade a day can help prevent kidney stones. Lemons contain citrate that breaks up calcium in the urine and prevents it from depositing in the kidneys.

Oats

Start your mornings with a bowlful of oats and see your endometrial pain fall sharply within six months. Oats are gluten free, and gluten is the main cause of pain in endometriosis.

Pineapples

Pineapples contain proteolytic enzymes that aid in speedy digestion and break down of proteins. A cup of pineapples daily can cut down bloating and flatulence within 72 hours.

Turmeric

Remember how, when you were a child, your grandma made you drink a glass of milk with turmeric in it whenever you injured yourself? Turmeric contains a compound known as curcumin that blocks pain producing hormones. Latest research shows that people given turmeric in their diet had a drastic fall in pain related to arthritis and fibromyalgia; some studies suggest it may be more effective than ibuprofen.

Vitamin D

Research showed that some people experiencing chronic pain also suffers from low levels of vitamin D and that they experienced a drastic drop in the severity of pain when their vitamin D levels were raised. Sunshine is an excellent source of vitamin D as it helps produce this nutrient naturally walks in the sun is an ideal way to boost your vitamin D.

Walnuts

If you have excessively dry skin, try eating walnuts as they contain powerful omega 3 fatty acids that help nourish the skin.

Yogurt

Eating at least two cups daily can help ease PMS symptoms by almost 50%. Yogurt contains calcium that helps soothe the nervous system even hormonal influx. Source: CP

Top 25 Oak Facts

• 1.       As you know, Oak is a tree or shrub. It belongs to genus Quercus of the beech family, Fagaceae.

• 2.       There are approximately more than 600 species of Oaks.

• 3.      Mexico contains the largest number of Oak Species, has 160 species of which 109 are endemic. While China contains 200 species, and 90 occurring in the United States.  One of the most beautiful oak trees is northern red oak (Quercus rubra). That’s leaves have a unique red color. Red oak is also the State tree of New Jersey.

• 4.       In spring, Oaktree produces both male and female flowers.

• 5.       The fruit is oak nut borne called an acorn,  a cup-like structure known as a cupule takes 6 to 18 months to mature, depending on their species.

• 6.       Oaks have spirally arranged leaves, with lobate margins in many species; some have serrated leaves or entire leaves with smooth margins.

• 7.       Oak Tree survives in various forests, temperate climates, Mediterranean and tropical areas.

• 8.       Oak Trees are prone to fungal diseases, which may induce rotting of the inner part of the plant.

• 9.       Also, 78 species of oaks trees are listed as endangered because of the habitat destruction, over-exploitation, diseases, and introduction of invasive species.

• 10.   Oak trees can reach 75 feet in height and 9 feet in width and their branches can stretch to 145 feet in length.

• 11.   Oak trees are usually large in size. One of the biggest oak trees is located in Goose Island State Park. This oak is 45 feet tall, 35 feet wide; with a crown that has 90 feet in diameter.

• 12.   Due to massive size Oat Tree need a large amount of water per day, it has the ability to absorb 50 gallons of water each day.

• 13.   The Leaves of Oak trees can be lobed, serrated or flat on the edges, however, in some species the leaves are bristles.

• 14.   One of the interesting Oak Facts is it produces both male and female flowers. Male flowers are arranged in clusters called catkins. Female flowers are much smaller.

• 15.   The Oat tree fruit is called acorn, and production starts at the age of 20 to 25 years.

• 16.   Oak Tree produces over 2,000 acorns each year, but 1 in 10,000 acorns will grow up into an Oak tree.

• 17.   Many animals like, ducks, deer, squirrels, woodpeckers, rats, mice, pigeons, and bears feed on acorns.

• 18.   The Oak Tree wood is very hard and strong, normally used in the manufacturing of Yamaha drums, ships, furniture, cosmetic creams, and floorings materials. Oakwood is also using in special aroma to some beverages. s

• 19.   Oak Tree is the national plant of several countries like USA, France, England, Germany, Poland, Latvia, and Serbia.

• 20.   Oak Tree symbolizes strength and endurance. They feed various living creatures with their leaves and acorns.

• 21.   Young Acorns, leaves, and buds contain tannic acid that entices toxic effects in cattle. Tannic acid induces the formation of ulcers, Kidney damaged and result in malformation in the newly born cattle.

• 22.   Most of Oak species live more than 200 years, but few trees that have the ability to survive over a thousand years.

• 23.   Oak trees played a vital role in human history. They built their homes, manufacturing tools, and constructed.

• 24.   The largest living oak tree is located in Mandeville, Louisiana. The oldest known living oak trees with an estimated age of 1,500 years.

• 25.   The aging of wine in the oak barrels was the historic practice of famous winemakers. It is still practiced in our days

Source: CP