Sitka Spruce Radiocarbon Signature Marks Anthropocene Epoch

Key Quotes

"You have to go through a quite a perilous sea journey to get there so when you do arrive it does seem like a a haven or an oasis when you go there it is as if you've stepped back 2 000 years you're just stepping right back into where nature had complete and utter control of the planet and it's because it's so remote that this island is this pristine safe haven for plants and animals they thrive there but when it comes to humans it's a little bit less oasis like it's best described as a miserable climate it's pretty much 24 7 gale force winds it rains 325 days per year you're lucky if you get an hour of sunlight a day nonetheless humans tried to live there for a bit people used the island for farming and they brought over a bunch of species that were not great for the native vegetation and wildlife but at the end of the day human beings just couldn't hack it campbell island was too remote too harsh by the 1930s farmers had abandoned the island but there is still one remnant of humans' time left on campbell island one thing we brought over that's still there the tree"

Matt Vance describes Campbell Island as a remote haven for nature, emphasizing its pristine state due to its isolation. Vance highlights that while animals and plants thrive, humans find the climate miserable and unsustainable. Vance notes that despite human attempts at settlement and farming, the island's harsh conditions ultimately led to abandonment, leaving only the introduced tree as a remnant.

"The story goes that the tree arrived on the island around the early 1900s brought over by New Zealand's governor at the time his idea was to use Campbell Island for forestry and what better way to mark the occasion than by planting a tree apparently that's a big thing in New Zealand if there's anything worth doing they usually plant a commemorative tree the forestry idea died out pretty quickly but what didn't die out was the tree it's a Sitka spruce which is a tree native to North America and they're handsome stately trees they can grow to be 100 feet tall with strong assertive roots they're actually kind of the perfect Christmas tree"

The narrative explains the origin of the Sitka spruce on Campbell Island, attributing its planting to a New Zealand governor's forestry initiative around the early 1900s. The author points out that this act of planting a commemorative tree is a common practice in New Zealand for significant events. The author clarifies that while the forestry plan failed, the tree itself persisted, noting its native characteristics as a North American Sitka spruce.

"yeah so they have asymmetrical roots and if they have constant wind like you do on Campbell Island from the west they can put up to 60 of their roots on the windward side to to hold them hold them fast and remember those meteorologists who wanted a Christmas tree they didn't exactly help the aesthetic situation they lopped off a bunch of the tree's branches and they grew back all funky looking it doesn't look like a Sitka spruce because it's been hecked around it looks more like a cabbage form it's very squat and wide but here is another remarkable thing the Campbell Island Sitka spruce is growing faster than it does in its normal climate five to 10 times faster and it's doing it all alone it is 170 miles from the nearest tree"

This passage details the physical adaptations of the Campbell Island Sitka spruce due to its harsh environment. The author explains how the tree develops asymmetrical roots to anchor itself against constant winds, with a significant portion growing on the windward side. The author also notes that the tree's appearance has been altered by human intervention, such as the removal of branches by meteorologists, resulting in a "cabbage form" rather than its natural stately shape, while still growing at an accelerated rate in isolation.

"The researchers took a sample from the Sitka spruce and what they found inside was a very specific trace of radiocarbon and here's where we need to talk about geologic time epochs to be specific an epoch is a period in earth's history ranging anywhere from about three million to over 40 million years and each epoch is defined by some sort of development that changed the planet so there was the Pliocene when the climate became cooler and drier and the Miocene when land dwelling mammals began to change the dynamics of life on earth and today a lot of people talk about us having entered a new epoch the Anthropocene anthro as in humans us people the Anthropocene is defined as an epoch when humans are the big dominant force that's altering the planet a time shaped by people but the big question is if we really are in the Anthropocene when did it begin"

Researchers discovered a specific trace of radiocarbon within the Sitka spruce sample, prompting a discussion about geologic time and epochs. The author defines an epoch as a distinct period in Earth's history characterized by significant planetary developments, citing the Pliocene and Miocene as examples. The author introduces the concept of the Anthropocene as a current epoch defined by human dominance and planetary alteration, posing the question of its precise beginning.

"most researchers found in the Sitka spruce is from around 1965 right around when the atomic bomb tests were ending and those tests they took place mostly in the northern hemisphere which means that for the radiocarbon to wind up in the Sitka spruce it had to travel thousands of miles across continents across oceans and settle into the bark of this remote tree it's the radiocarbon equivalent of carving humans were here into its bark it's important to know that there are other potential golden spikes which might define the start of the Anthropocene some say that it should be the start of the industrial revolution others think that it should somehow be tied to greenhouse gases but if the atomic age does mark the moment when human beings demonstrated a global geological reach then that trace of radiocarbon inside the lonely tree on Campbell Island might just be the golden spike they're looking for"

The radiocarbon found in the Sitka spruce dates to approximately 1965, coinciding with the end of atomic bomb testing. The author explains that the presence of this radiocarbon in such a remote location signifies its global dispersal, acting as a marker of human impact akin to an inscription. The author acknowledges alternative theories for the start of the Anthropocene, such as the Industrial Revolution or greenhouse gases, but suggests this radiocarbon trace could serve as the "golden spike" if the atomic age is considered the point of humanity's global geological influence.

"for me i find it invigorating that i really don't have a neighbor i'm just a little speck in the ocean that's part of the reason i go back is to get that feeling of complete isolation and put everything into its true perspective which is where a little tiny dot in the vastness and Campbell Island and the spruce are pretty much the manifestation of that sort of thinking really for me it enthuses me for life i understand how much of a miracle life is if you actually want to visit Campbell Island and see the world's loneliest tree it's possible but you need a permit it'